Friday, December 14, 2012

Found a wallet...

I was walking back to work after a short break and saw a wallet on the floor, near our parking meters. Looked around, but didn't see anybody. Perhaps it was a co-worker or building neighbors? No. The wallet was... no offense, kind of 'granny' style. Most of the people around my building are rather young, so it wouldn't be theirs. I looked at the driver's license, and the wallet belonged to a woman named Kate, and she was born in 1931... so I was right!
Looked sort of like this, but very worn out
So I immediately think, let me call this woman. I mean, at least I can contact her home or something. But then I see a lot of high-value bills ($20-$50) and I immediately close the wallet and go up to my manager.

One thing I've learned at my part time job (since it is at a hotel) is that every time you're dealing with such situations, you get a "witness"; someone to vouch that you didn't do anything you shouldn't have. So I got my manager to be a "witness". Brought the wallet to her, and she took a look around it. No phone numbers. Few credit cards and prescription schedule. I said I'd turn it in at the police station 3 streets down after quitting time, half hour away.

Just for kicks, I decided to go into the hair salon down the street and check if they knew this lady, and they did! She was actually right there, so they pointed her to me. She had her hair spiked up (I guess they were coloring it?), and I told her what had happened. She was very thankful, but was very embarrassed, so I told her I didn't take anything, that she was welcome, and walked out. She didn't even know the wallet was gone. Bless her heart.

There goes my good deed for the year! Not a moment too soon too.

However, tip for everyone... please put something in your wallet that has a way to contact you (cell number if any), and make it easy on people trying to make a good deed. After that incident, I made sure I made myself a little card with my info.

Other than that, happy Friday to everyone!

12 comments:

  1. That's awesome! Someone did that for me once. I dropped my wallet in a mall parking garage. A person turned it in to the closest department store and they called me. I was about to cancel all the cards when they called. I'm honest to a fault, too. I don't want anyone else's money and I appreciate it when a stranger returns my money to me, too.

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  2. Awesome! something great will be coming your way!

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  3. You done good and added to your Karma points with the Universe. 8-)
    Happy Friday to you too!

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  4. that was sweet of you! karma will repay you : )

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  5. Good tip on putting something with your info in your wallet! Our health cards have all that info on them..

    I'm sure you're in the good book this year! ;)

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    1. We're lucky our insurance cards have our names on it, if that. We're numbers to the company (and date of births, and last four of our social security number), so there's no chance that they'd had our number! You're lucky.

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  6. That is an excellent good deed! Twice I have returned things: Once, a $50 back when I was in University that I saw drop out of a student's pocket. Who had $50???? sure not me. The second was when a guy left his debt card in the machine at the ATM. It was one that had his name on it. He had been driving a delivery vehicle for the newspaper. I called up the paper and they confirmed the guy worked for them. I dropped the card off at work for him. I was surprised to see myself 'referenced' in the letter to the editor later that week as the owner thanked the honest and kind Anonumous woman who found and returned his card. It was a great feeling.

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    1. $50's a lot of cash! Though hey, books are expensive too... that's a pretty cool story about the newspaper! How awesome.

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  7. I totally agree with the witness thing - I do that at work because I've found that without a witness people will lie...yes lie...I know, hard to believe eh?
    A couple of years ago I left my wallet on top of my car when getting gas and drove off..it tumbled off my car onto a busy 4 lane street in my city. I didn't realize it was gone til I pulled in an hour later at a coffee shop. YIKES! I drove home to start calling credit card companies etc and my neighbour popped out of her house with my wallet!! Yes, a kind stranger noticed my wallet when he was driving down the 4 lane street (he must have had the eyes of a hawk!), gathered up all the cards that were spilling out and had been driven over, found my address on my driver's license and came right to my house! Not being home he left it with my neighbour along with his phone #. Needless to say I called him, thanked him and send him a gift card.
    It fills my heart with gladness to know that there are still so many good samaritans out there and that you are ONE of them!! :)

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    1. Glad they gathered your stuff. I hope I never lose my wallet!

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  8. You rock - that is a wonderful good deed! Good karma is coming your way. :-)

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