What's the Worst Thing You've Ever Lost?

Photo by Ingrid Taylar

Losing stuff is rarely fun or exciting, unless it's your virginity, chlamydia or weight that you're trying to shed in an effort to get svelte, or whatever it is that people who go to the gym a lot say. Mind you, none of those things are guaranteed to be particularly great, either, meaning it's safe to assume that losing stuff is never something you want to do.

What's even worse is when other people lose stuff that belongs to you, like the woman who was recently victim to Natwest losing her safety deposit box full of £20,000 worth of heirlooms and jewellery, for example. So we all know losing stuff sucks, but what stuff sucks the most to lose? We asked some people a question to find out: London, what's the worst thing you've ever lost?

Osien: I lost my passport once when I was in Portugal, which was difficult. Pride, self respect – I've lost them. And when I was little I lost my dog. That was really bad.

How did you manage that?
We took him for a walk, he went missing and I was sure I'd never see him again. But the next day my dad turned up at my classroom door holding him. So that was really nice, but it would have been devastating if he wasn't found.

If a bank had lost something of yours, what would you do?
I'd be pretty annoyed, especially if it was something irreplaceable. If you surrender something to the bank, you think they're going to look after it, but there's so much bureaucracy and red tape involved that when an institution screws up you have to make a big deal of it for them to do anything. But, at the end of the day, I'd rather be responsible for my own belongings than give them to someone else.

Good plan.

Dennis: My wife's bag off of the back of a motorbike. It disappeared somewhere on the A12. It had all of our money and debit cards in it.

Oh dear. Was she annoyed?
Just a little, yeah. I'm a bit scared to look after her things now.

How would you feel if a bank lost something of yours?
I'd complain and try to get whatever I lost back. But, depending on the value, I'd keep most of my important stuff at home. Home is safe.

Holly: Funny you should ask – my car was broken into over the weekend and they stole my BlackBerry, so now I have to use a really rubbish phone.

How do you feel about that?
I'm upset. There was some damage to my car and I'm going to have to buy a new phone, which sucks.

Yeah, that does suck. If someone stole something irreplaceable from you, how would you react?
I imagine if someone stole something important, like photos of my family or something, it would be pretty awful. With my car, though, there isn't really anything I can do.

Imogen: I once left a load of luggage on a bus in Bolivia, so I was travelling around for about four months with hardly any socks or jumpers, which was pretty bad.

What did you do when you realised?
I just felt very cold. I calmed down after a while, though and figured I could just get some more. It wasn't too bad, really – the main thing was thinking 'Oh my god, you're so stupid.' It isn't as bad as losing jewellery in a safety deposit box, but in the context of what it was, it was difficult.

Are you more careful with your things now?
I'd like to think so, but I'm incredibly forgetful. I left a big picture frame in a pub yesterday so had to go all the way back and get it. I can't say I'm that much more careful, really.

Chris: A tie-pin that my wife gave me for Christmas. I lost it the very same day I was given it.

How did you break it to her?
Very quietly.

Good idea. What's the worst thing you've ever had stolen from you?
My heart.

By your wife?
No, previous to the wife. Don't tell her that.

I won't. 

Previously - Would You Tell Your Kids About Your Drug Usage?