mastering loss

so i had planned today to share my vintage 1970's and up viewmaster collection and mention the fact that on our recent trip to yosemite i had picked up another 3-pack and looked forward to adding it to the collection.
only, yesterday when i went looking for said viewmaster, and then asking my wife where i might find them in our garage, i got an uncomfortably blank stare back from her. apparently in her last wave of cleaning, the entire lot ended up going to goodwill. now, honestly my first reaction was to completely flip out, as i began to ramp up my disbelief, disappointment and anger. i thought about the long years, countless living situations and roommates i had hauled these around through. the memories of rainy days and sick days, days at our family cabin. the simple joy of stereo-optics. all gone.
but after a few minutes of sucking on that bitter taste i reflected that it was all good. it was after all an accident. my wife had no idea these things meant so much. and a quick trip to e-bay helped to take some of the sting out. there i found the endless closet doors of america and beyond opened up to me if i wished to try and recover some of these lost artifacts.
and knowing that it is available makes the tearing feel less hurtful. so maybe someday and soon i'll make that post again. it's not the losing of the thing that hurts, it's the assault on the memory.