I'm doing business at a 'new' convenience store, at least new to me, that I've ignored/overlooked for years having driven by it virtually daily. There is nothing wrong with it exactly, large parking lot, fairly clean, and even nice people. It just did not have the right vibe, so to speak. It is in an extremely traveled area but it always seems to be isolated and is rarely crowded when it should be. But, I've changed my way of thinking and started stopping in. It has taken some time, but the store and it's people have begun to grow on me. I get gas there and they have a rewards card that has come in quite handy too. About a week ago at sunset I stopped at said store and on entering one set of doors I looked down. Lying upside down on the concrete was a blank personal check with enough personal info embedded that it almost certainly could have been put to ill use if someone wanted too. I picked it up, glanced at the name, and handed it over to the store manager. No, for those inquiring minds, I did not make note of the check number to the play later - it never even crossed my mind. I later learned the name on the check belongs to a well established man in the next town over, and I'm hopeful he knows what happened to his check by now.
Danny has brought us monsoons that were much needed (thanks Danny, now time to move out to sea, if you please). Last night, right at nightfall, I stopped at my new favorite store and got out to make a dash for that same door (there are several entrances). I glanced down again in nearly the same spot to see something at my feet. It turned out to be a very wet but very, very nice Verizon cell phone. I picked it up, spun around to see if anyone might be nearby enough to have dropped it, and then went on into the store. Same manager was working and I told her I had something else for her lost and found. I did flip the phone open and it was off/dead before I handed it to her, and her response was the same, that the phone appeared to be dead. I did my business and left. During the night, it occurred to me that the phone had value in that my animal charities recycle phones and another charity recycles for domestic violence victums to have 911 phones. This morning, same manager was there and I asked what would happen to that phone I found. She said that not long after I left, a frantic young woman came in who had lost her phone and claimed it.
Findings things is an aspect of luck. You might know someone that has the uncanny ability to find things but, more than likely, you or someone you know goes through phases where things just appear like magic. I find this aspect of luck to be fleeting. What is not fleeting is how you respond to finding things - are you a totally 'finders keepers' person or does each situation merit consideration on how best to handle? Do you believe that always doing the right thing is the only way to go? Let me share my thoughts on always doing the right thing. Like beauty, it is totally in the eye of the beholder. A case in point: Years ago while working in a large office with a large waiting room, a secretary at the end of the day noticed a purse obviously unattended in the waiting room. She asked everyone present and all said it did not belong to them. She carried the purse a few feet to the secretarial area where everyone (at least 6 of us) gathered to see what the deal was. In the presence of the group, the purse was opened, the wallet extracted, and a name found. The purse was then locked in a drawer and the owner quickly contacted and just as quickled return to get her purse. Fast forward about 2 hours. Into the chaos of a work day comes the State Police. It turns out that upon leaving the office with her 'found' purse, the owner felt x-amount of money was missing and proceeded to call the police and file a complaint of theft against the entire office staff. In order to appease the purse owner, we were formally interviewed and put through a fairly dense investigation, given the situation. In the end, the owner was told that if her purse had been purged of money, it could have just as easily happened during its unattended time in the waiting room and much less likely during it's rescue given the number of witnesses and where suspicion would obviously turn. I think they said something like, you should be grateful you have the purse, credit cards, pictures, keys, etc. back. I would add that the owner also came into the office and made some quite ugly and quite choice remarks to us about our "conduct."
It's true, no good deed goes unrewarded, I guess. My point is that luck falls to us in many ways. I believe that if we wish to look forward to continued good fortune, each instance of 'found' luck must be given the right attention. Yes, some might call this karma of sorts but I call it recognizing that what is good can just as easily be bad. I'm thankful for every instance and moment of good, just as I am grateful for peaceful sleep. It turns out neither are promised to us and both are sorely missed when they don't show up as often as we feel they should.
Turn your face to the rain as you would the sun to complete the cycle. I hope everyone finds great fortune today. I really, really do. J