I’m tired of reading about people doing things that annoy me, frustrate me, or just in general make me want to throw things, so I thought I’d share a story about something that happened to my husband not too long ago. Maybe some more of you have stories like this. It’s a story that really does reaffirm my faith that people are basically decent and good.
So anyway. A few months ago, MrWhatsit was getting money out of the ATM when apparently he was distracted by birds flying past, or a cute girl, or god only knows what, and left his ding-danged card in the machine. He only realized he had done this several hours later when he got home. The bank was closed by this time, so he decided to just wait until the next morning and call and see if anyone had turned the card in.
Lo and behold, wonder of wonders, someone HAD turned the card in. Even more amazing was the story that the bank teller told MrWhatsit when he went down to pick the card up. Apparently, as MrWhatsit was walking away from the machine, some kids noticed his forgotten card and decided to take the opportunity to clear out his checking account. They withdrew $400 and were in the process of making off with his hard-earned cash, when an unidentified passerby saw what happened and, in the words of the bank teller, “roughed the kids up a little”, got MrWhatsit’s money and card back, and returned all of it to the bank. He did not leave his name or any other identifying information.
Can you even believe that? It made my week – no, my month – actually, no, pretty much my whole year.
So, anyone else have anything like that to share?
This really got me at the time:
(Mods: this is an excerpt from a longer story. Theoriginal story’s link seems to have expired.)
U.S. Muslims awed by kindnesses
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 — Shortly after last month’s terrorist attacks, two bricks ferried handwritten notes with crude, racist remarks through the front window of the Old Town Islamic Bookstore in Alexandria. Store manager Hazim Barakat was angry and frazzled. The Palestinian immigrant also was unprepared for what happened next.
ABOUT 15 bouquets of flowers and more than 50 cards — some with money — arrived at his store. People from as far away as Tennessee and Nebraska called with condolences. A local businessman, who would not give Barakat his name, paid for a new window. Christian ministers and a rabbi dropped by to express their support.
“The people in the neighborhood were so nice you don’t believe,” said Barakat, 44, who runs the store for the American Muslim Foundation. “This is like another family I have. This is my big family. I want to thank everybody.”
Kind of sad that thread isn’t longer no?
About three months ago I was in Ft. Lauderdale on business (really, it was just business) I managed to lose my wallet the first day there. I lost two credit cards, a bankcard (atm not a check card) all of my ID’s, and 680 dollars (Florida is not as fun with 6 dollars as it is with 600, God bless the continental breakfast). Long story short, about a month ago I got a call from the hotel manager, a kid that was staying in the same room I had, had found my wallet and turned it in, with everything. I asked for him to give the kid 50 dollars but he had checked out the day before. My wallet had been handled by 3 different managers and I didn’t know the room number, but even if it is a moot point I would like to say, Thank you very much.
I’m envious for the karma this kid now has and I am sure that I drained whatever I had of good karma on that one as well. I also want to say good job to his parents as well.