Aloha

I am currently sitting on a Boeing 767 that just took off over the hilly craters of O'ahu.  According to the screen above my head, I have 6218 km to my destination.  This is usually a very calming time for me as I look out the window at the awesomely majestic scenery below.  Even now, I can't help but feel more relaxed flying over the vast wonder we call the Pacific Ocean.  Minutes before boarding this flight, I realized that I no longer had my trusty, ever present friend, Canon.  I somehow lost my camera in the airport.  I went through the security checkpoints, walked to the restroom, and then proceeded to my gate with my camera & all my other belongings in tow.  I stopped to take a few pictures of the Hawaiian and Japanese planes sitting at the gates ready to be loaded for their next destination.  I walked to my gate, and sat for a few minutes before getting up to walk around the area to find food.  Finding food before the flight was important because no food or snacks would be served on the almost 8-hour trip.  I sat down & ate a few bites, saving most of the food for the plane.  I first noticed that my camera was missing when I got up to walk back to the gate for boarding.  I frantically searched the restaurant and asked the workers if they had seen my missing camera. It felt more like an extension of myself because it held so many precious moments of my life that I could revisit from time to time.  Not only did it store my pictures of Hawaii, but also my wedding anniversary in New Orleans, and other special events.  I retraced my steps & asked the gate agent if anyone had turned in a camera, and I checked the seating area around the gate.  I called the airport helpline and they gave me the number for Lost & Found, which I called several times to no avail.  I was very disappointed when the line rang a few times before hanging up on me.  I walked back to the gate agent and the ticket agent once more before boarding, and I left my contact info. just in case they found anything.  Without pictures, the images that I saw will live only in my mind's eye.  It was like a nearsighted person losing their glasses.  It was such an awful way to end an otherwise fabulous vacation.  C'est la vie.