Mine are one lucky pair of glasses

Some folks are always misplacing their reading glasses.

Like me.

Some folks are prone to losing their reading glasses, period.

Not me.

I've been lucky. Real lucky.

When Manatee played Tampa Plant for the Class 5A state championship in Orlando in December 2009, I inadvertently left them on the chartered bus --- a bus I wasn't taking home after the game. When I was done writing, I was going to catch a ride with a colleague.

But I had to be able to read my laptop screen to write.

I thought I was up the creek, until Margi Nanney,  the school district spokeswoman, loaned me an extra pair of reading glasses. Superintendent Tim McGonegal kindly offered me his extra pair, too.

Saved!

I thought my glasses were as good as gone --- until a friend, who managed to talk his way into the Citrus
Bowl pressbox, showed up with my glasses in his hand at halftime.

I was so happy I gave the guy a hug and a kiss.

Fast forward to Thursday morning's Take Stock in Children prayer breakfast at Bradenton Auditorium.

After I was done interviewing people, I kept putting the glasses down while I shook hands and talked with friends and then picked up the glasses again.

I eventually walked back to the library where I'd parked, used the bathroom, came back out and drove to work.

Without the glasses.

I drove back to the auditorium and retraced my steps. No dice.

Checked the library parking lot. No dice there, either.

I figured those glasses were history.

Giving it one more shot, I went inside the library and asked the folks at the checkout desk whether any glasses had been turned in during the last half-hour.

Yes, a woman said.

What were they in? she asked.

A brown case, I said.

Got them right here, she said, taking then out of a drawer.

Yesss!

I thanked her and the library staff profusely and left, a lucky guy, indeed.

My glasses, too.