Whoever thought playing with the dog would lead to this?

It was just around noontime when my phone alerted me to an incoming call. Looking at the phone number my gut reaction was: « I don’t know anyone from this area code, this must be another spam call », but then, the unexpected text and a voicemail message came in.

The text said: « I found you in Ring Finders and could sure use your help. I’m in Monticello GA. I lost my ring in a house, but not a beach or somewhere like that, but was still hoping you could help me find it. I know the exact room I was in too. The ring has always been loose on my finger. I was playing with the dog so he could let out some energy and be happy. I must have moved too fast though. When my hands quickly moved away, my ring went flying. I flung it somewhere in this room, but I haven’t had luck finding it. »

My first impulse was: « I can help this person out, since I have nothing important planned this afternoon, and I could even get the car packed and start the journey in 30 – 45 minutes. I would also need to consult the local retirement coordinator (wife) for clearance to travel. Next, I searched the information superhighway for logistical information on Monticello Georgia. According to Google maps, the distance between Warner Robins and Monticello GA is 58 miles and would take 1 hour and 8 minutes travel time. The trip traverses middle Georgia backroads which includes scenic landscapes along Lake Juliette and historic Jarrell Plantation. In all, the roundtrip would be at least 4 hours, but would not be surprised if this treasure hunt took upwards of 6 hours to complete.

Now I was ready to call the lost ring owner back. Robert was very friendly and grateful to receive my call. After introducing myself, I gave him some background on my experience with the ringfinders organization and metal detecting as a hobby. He then explained in greater detail the location where his ring was lost and his efforts to find it. The ring itself is a simple, narrow gold band and the room where the ring was lost is being used for storage. The room’s dimensions are approximately 8 feet 4 inches by 12 feet four inches. Since losing his ring Robert searched every square inch of the room to no avail. He even moved objects in the room around to be certain the ring was not hiding in plain sight. His conclusion was that the ring must have found its way into the gap between the walls and floor, which according to Robert was plenty wide enough to swallow up his wedding ring. His request for me to search the wall/floor gap with my metal detector in hopes I could find his lost gold wedding band. As we discussed further, Robert revealed that the house was quite old and the room where the ring was lost has original hardwood flooring installed above a crawlspace. This likely meant the floor is tongue and groove construction nailed to floor joists. I let Robert know that the floor nails and metal fasteners in the wall could prevent the detector from finding the lost gold band as the ring would be surrounded by a sea steel nails and to the metal detector, and each steel nail would be detected as a possible target. This revelation led me to suggest one more avenue before I undergo a journey that may not produce the location of the lost wedding ring. I asked Robert how thoroughly he has searched the objects being stored within the room. Robert expressed with certainty that the ring had been lost at floor level and was not on or in any of the room’s contents, but then the next words that came out of Robert’s mouth changed everything. « You won’t believe this, but I just found my lost ring! It seems the moment I suggested a different search approach, Robert’s eyes locked onto his elusive target; his ring was found resting upon a tray used to store ratcheting wrenches. And all this occurred within the span of a 5 minute phone call. As we concluded our call, Robert humbly expressed his thanks for my remote help which I reciprocated in gratitude for him searching out my services through ringfinders. I also mentioned how helping others and finding lost valuables brought me a kind of joy and satisfaction.

It just goes to show you that when all your efforts seem to be leading to dead-ends, consider « maybe I could be doing this a little differently ». What do you have to lose, or possibly, what might you find by trying a different approach, or reaching out to someone for help or maybe even saying a quick prayer?