Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Thank You, GOOD People

The other day someone snatched a laptop from a café close to my neighborhood, jumped into a car and drove off. The laptop owner, a talented local musician who had his work stored on it, pursued the thief by clinging to the fleeing car, with tragic consequences. He was dragged, and died of his injuries.


This was an exceptional result of something that has sadly become all too common. Laptops, cell phones and IPods taken in full view of others because someone thinks they need not work or pay for what they want.


Only two days later, DD had gone for a walk with a friend in a nearby town. While visiting the Berkeley Rose Garden, now fragrant and in full bloom thanks to a good rainy season, her IPod managed to evaporate. At first, she assumed she had possibly left it at home. But when she returned, the whole family scoured the house and, no IPod.


It seems very possible, in light of the oh-so many swipes and snatches, that someone may have helped themselves to her pocket when she was distracted, smelling the roses, so to speak. But it was also possible, just maybe please –let-it-be, that it fell out of her pocket, and was still somewhere on the ground.

But if so, what were the odds it wasn’t picked up and pocketed after that?


DD remembered that the Rose Garden closes after dark. But she and DH drove there, and with the help of flashlights, it took but a minute to see that although the garden gate was indeed locked, someone had left her IPod off the ground right next to the gate.



And there was more. When an IPod is locked, apparently there is no way to open it and see who the owner might be. But there is one thing you can do, and that is take photos with it. The people who found it and left it so thoughtfully where she could come back for it, also left their faces by way of saying Hello.

We don’t know this family, but we love them. If you know them, thank them for us. Small acts like this make up for a lot. I’m also thankful for the many passers-by in Berkeley who chose not to take the IPod as it sat, waiting for DD by the gate, for five hours.


I will make sure to pay it forward, somehow.

7 comments:

Kelly Hashway said...

Yay for good people in the world! I love stories like this.

Vijaya said...

This is so wonderful. But I am so sorry about the tragic end to the first story. Words fail me.

Evelyn said...

I love this story! And have tears in my eyes from reading it. [Thank you, God, for the good, kind people in this world. May each of us be that kind person for someone else.]

Janie Junebug said...

The death is so awful, but I'm grateful that the IPod could be retrieved.

Love,
Janie

Barbara Etlin said...

Yah for happy endings and good people! I have two such stories about people who do the right thing.

Once I walked several blocks to my car, laden with university books. When I got to my car I realized I didn't have my key--or my purse! I hurried back and found it in the washroom where I had left it, with the cash still in my wallet.

Several years later I left my briefcase on the subway. It contained my income tax form, with my name and address, and all kinds of personal information. Someone found it, phoned me, and returned it.

Mirka Breen said...

Thank you for sharing these, Barbara.

Anonymous said...

What a sad sad story about that poor musician. And what a WONDERFUL fun story about your daughter's iPod. Thanks for sharing the story and picture, helps to balance out the bad in our world. I'm so glad they noticed the iPod sitting there beside the gate.