Notes from a packrat with minimalistic desires: Letting go of what's already lost

I lost some thing that was very useful to me, to which I had a pragmatic attachment.  I had also had the thing for close to ten years, so I felt somewhat sentimentally attached too.  I was in NYC for the day.  I lost it a) on a park bench, b) in a subway station, or c) at a coffee shop.  Once I realized the thing was missing from my person, I started retracing my steps, first physically, then mentally.  When I reached place (a), I sat down to ponder.  I could spend the next hour plus looking for the thing that may not be found (I strongly suspected wherever I had left it, it had been taken by now) or I could let it go.  Was there anything about this thing that I absolutely needed?  The answer was no.  So I let it go, and went home.