I'm Lost without "Lost".

It is a widely held belief that all good things must come to an end. I understand and accept that. But it still does not lessen the pain I will be feeling this time next week when something in which I have invested six years of my life will finally end.

In short, I’ll be lost without “Lost”.

Six years ago, I tuned into the pilot episode of a program about a group of survivors whose plane crashes on a tropical island. The survivors include, among others, a doctor, a fugitive, a rock star, a con man and a lottery winner. The premise sounded ordinary. However, by the end of the pilot, the introduction of a polar bear, an unseen “monster” and a distress signal broadcasting for more than sixteen years firmly set the tone for a television show that was anything but ordinary. The last words spoken in this episode hinted at the roller coaster ride ahead: “Guys…where are we?”

Six years later, those of us who tune in faithfully have been treated to a flood of plot points including a smoke monster, a man living underground in a hatch, a button that needs to be pushed every 108 minutes in order to save the world, and characters whose lives have intersected off-island (in ways unbeknownst to them but revealed to the viewers). We’ve seen flashbacks, flash-forwards and flash-sideways. We’ve witnessed miraculous healings, time travel and alternate universes. The common complaint I hear from people who don’t watch “Lost” is that they tried to watch but they got…well…lost. (I feel the same way about “24”). Take heart. I have watched every episode multiple times, have read hundreds of postings online, traded theories with fellow “Losties” and I still have no clue what it’s all about. Clearly “Lost” isn’t just the title of the program. It’s a state of mind.

The title “Lost” doesn’t just refer to the fact that the characters are stuck on some mystical, uncharted island (kind of like a Zen version of “Gilligan’s Island, a show I loved as a kid. Uh-oh. I’m sensing a pattern here.) In their own unique way, the show’s characters are all “lost”, whether they are seeking love, faith, acceptance, redemption or peace. Lately, the show has leaned heavily on spiritual parallels, with viewers pondering concepts such as good versus evil, free will versus destiny, and where we fit in the tapestry of the universe.

It’s always funny when someone who doesn’t watch “Lost” asks me what’s going on. A typical response might go something like this: ” Well, the smoke monster inhabited John Locke’s body and is now trying to leave the island in the submarine. Jacob is dead but he still appears to Hurley, who can see dead people, and Desmond returned to the island but was thrown down the well by Sayid. Oh, and in the alternate timeline…” At this point I start to feel like a jackass and shut my mouth. There’s no way to succinctly sum up what’s happening on “Lost” without sounding like a complete lunatic.

I appreciate that the “Lost” producers decided to end the series while still going strong. Nothing is more pathetic than a television show that exceeds its freshness date. (Can you say “Will and Grace?”) Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “jumping the shark” (referencing a show that has lost all credibility, as when Fonzie decided to water ski over a shark tank on the program “Happy Days”), “Lost” was one of the few shows that was unable to “jump the shark” since the premise was completely outrageous to begin with. I’m sure there are millions of fans that would love to continue watching “Lost” for years to come, but after watching a similar fan favorite, “The X-Files”, spiral down to mediocrity, I’m okay with “Lost” going out while they’re still on top.

On Sunday night, at 11:31 p.m., television sets all over the country will be turned off and fellow “Lost” fans will shake their heads, perhaps dab a tear, and begin the process of living without “Lost”.

To which I say: It is better to have loved “Lost” and lost, than to never have loved “Lost” at all.