What goes around comes around

Today was my study day, so I convinced Jeanet to go to the botanic gardens with me to see this exhibit called Sex and Death about orchids and carnivorous plants. We made our way into town and decided to have get some lunch to take in with us to eat on the grass. We went to two different cafés and got food, found a great spot and ate our food. We made our way over to the greenhouse and when I went to take out my wallet to pay the entry fee, I couldn’t find it. I got a little nervous, and after I looked through my bag a thousand times, I was satisfied that I had lost it. So I ran. I ran back the way we’d come, I ran to the cafes, I ran around two more times just for good measure. I looked in garbage cans, I looked in bushes. It started to rain. I got wet and cold. I got panicky. Jeanet handled it all very well, but I didn’t. We left my number at all the places we could think of and called the garden rangers to ask if anyone had turned in the wallet. Meanwhile, Jeanet had advised me to cancel all my cards so I called Mom and Steffen and got them to cancel my Visas. It was still raining, and now windy. We were cold and I was upset. We did everything we could, then I decided to try to get home after borrowing $3 from Jeanet. One woman had given me the police station number, so right before I left town, we sought refuge from the rain in a museum and I gave it a shot. Yep, he said, someone just dropped it off a couple of minutes ago along with a glasses case. WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!! I described it and the policeman confirmed it and told em how to find the station. Sure enough, I got there and everything was still in it. He thought I had lost my glasses or sunglasses, but I said nope, they are on my face. He said there wasn’t any money in the wallet and I said nope, there wasn’t any money in it anyways. All my cards were there, even my bus card! He tried to call the woman who turned it in so I could thank her, but she didn’t answer her phone… Bummer, too, because I was so unbelievably thankful to that woman for turning it in. I thought for sure it was gone. The policeman said I was lucky, that it was rare for people to turn in lost wallets, but I figure it was karma. At one of the cafes I had noticed a folder on a table along the sidewalk. I opened it and it was a thick bunch of medical records and an appointment list for a doctor visits. I turned it in to the café and they said they’d turn it in to the police if nobody came for it at the end of the day. So I was so happy to be able to put a little something in my good karma savings account, I had just hoped I’d be able to let interest accumulate on it before I had to make a withdrawal from that account. OH WELL, I got my wallet, and I was thrilled. Not so thrilled were Mom and Steffen who then, a mere two hours later, had to go through the mess of getting them opened again…! =) But they did, and everything worked out so perfectly. I love that there are still people who do the right thing… It’s such a trip to swing from negative, bitter thoughts that someone stole your wallet and that it’s in some bush somewhere abandoned and never to be seen again to absolute thankfulness and reaffirmed faith in the goodness of people. That woman made my day, and I owe Jeanet a massive favour for being so calm and patient and helpful. Sometimes I swear Jeanet has a halo glowing around her head.