The Hidden Power of Missing Objects

I was going through a stressful time at work when I had a consultation with a psychic healer. She advised me to write several letters expressing things I had wanted to say but could not, then burn them after five days. The burning, she emphasized, was essential for sending those messages out into the universe.

That same week, I was moving. Although I spent most of my time packing, I managed to write the letters. Once I arrived at my new apartment, I realized I had no matches, so I bought some.

As I unpacked, I looked for the metal bowl I used to burn incense, planning to use it for the letters. I searched through every box, but the bowl was nowhere to be found. Eventually, I abandoned the idea of burning them.

A few days later, when I tried to turn on the gas boiler, I noticed a strong smell of gas. I called someone to inspect it and learned there had been a major leak.

If I had found the bowl, I would not be here to tell this story.

A week later, I realized something else was missing: a kimono I had bought in Japan, a treasured souvenir I did not want to lose. I went back to my previous apartment and found it in a drawer. It was the only item I had left behind.

That is when I realized the real estate agent, who had been there seven days earlier, had left the heat on in a 1960s building with wiring from that era.

Once again, lives were saved by things left behind.