I lost an earbud while up on a ladder yesterday. Couldn’t find it either. Later, when I got quiet, I asked, “where is it?”. I heard, “look inside the ladder”. I wasn’t quite sure how to do that, but I closely inspected the ladder, and found a weird crevice on the bottom with my earbud in it. I would have never found that thing.

When I told my wife I had found my earbud, she was so genuinely happy that i had found it, it kinda made me pause. I get being happy your friend found something you lost, but she like… took on the disappointment of losing it and the joy of finding it herself for no other reason than that she loves me. It just kinda humbled me.

These earbuds have now taken on a symbolism beyond a simple object.