Lost in Lisbon

One cream colored hemp Tilley hat was lost somewhere in Lisbon, Portugal on July 22, 2015.  That hat has travelled with me to the United States, the Caribbean, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Nicaragua, and Mexico.  It has protected my fair scalp from being scalded by hot tropical sun.  It has seen five star resorts, sailed the seas, camped in the Canadian wilderness, and watched from its perch while I tied rebar in the Nicaraguan heat so that another classroom would be available for some beautiful children to learn in.  The stories that hat could tell.  I loved that hat because it actually fit me. 

There have been some folks through my lifetime who may have thought I had a swelled head but the truth is that my head is quite petite although my ego might be another story.  Finding a hat to fit has always been a challenge.  My head is simply too small for hats that are sold off the shelf unless I go to the toddler section and that’s a tad embarrassing.  When I discovered Tilley and found out that I could measure my head and order a hat that was absolutely perfect for me, I was delighted. 

Alas, my delight has kept me company for eight years and now it is somewhere in Lisbon.  Lost and alone.  My hat has the Tilley card in the crown that identifies the owner and records the address.  I filled the card in on a lark when I first received my hat.  The whole process seemed so Tilley and middle-age-ish that it made me giggle.  Now I hold onto a thin shred of hope that someone finds my hat, discovers the contact information, and feels compelled to return said chapeau to its owner. 

Wouldn’t it be grand if that were true?  What if my hat arrived in Canada in a week or two with a lovely note in Portuguese explaining who found it and where?  Maybe a long distance friendship would begin, and I would have a Tilley Story to tell.  Tilley owners like to tell stories about their hats and their travel.  I discovered that when I received my first catalogue and it amused me the same way the identification card did.  Never did I imagine that I would end up telling the story of a Tilley hat lost in Lisbon. 

But I am setting aside the fear that my children will mock me, and imploring the universe to conspire to return my Tilley hat to me!  I am officially challenging the power of the Internet to see if it will aide in reuniting my hat and I.  You see if likes, retweets, shares, and all the rest work maybe whoever has possession of my hat will see and be moved to return it.  Please help my Tilley find its way home.  Maybe a friend of a friend of yours will be the link I need.  Retweet, share, like, favorite, do whatever works for you but spread the word to Portugal that Joy really wants her hat back!