Good People

I was taking a short run late this afternoon on the Cape Cod bike trail [wow a run without hills] listening to the radio on my MP3 player. As I held the player I looked at my phone number written on a label and thought of Mary, someone I have never met and only talked to on the phone once, but who reassured me of the goodness that is out there in many people we do not know.

Several months ago I was using my mp3 in the car, as the radio had died. I was rushing from work to get to a meeting on a volunteer committee a church and tossed the player in my pocket as I juggled papers and cell phone and calendar and keys and as usual I was late.

On my way home I realized I couldn't find my MP3. It wasn't in my pocket or in the car, it was no where to be found. I was bummed as without this my daily commute was now without music or radio. I had turned my phone off for the meeting but when I turned it on there was a message from home. Someone had just called and said that she Had found something personal [wouldn't say what] and asked if she could identify it. My wife had forgotten that I was in town for a meeting and could not figure out what it could be but took the person's name and number down. Of course when I heard the message I knew immediately what it was and knew it was the sticker on the side that gave her the number to call though I was suddenly suspicious if why she didn't just say what it was. What was the deal.

The next morning I called Mary and told her I understood she may have found my mp3 and described it in every detail. She confirmed she had found it where I thought I had lost it and apologized for being so cryptic. She explained that she thought it was a phone or pda with personal information and wasn't sure if the label was my phone number or one I had just written that was someone else and didn't want to give it away without being sure. I was suspecting something sinister and she was watching out form me, someone she didn't even know. I arranged for my wife to pick it up from her later that day. She didn't want any reward she just wanted to make sure it got back to the right person. There are so many very decent people out there just doing the right thing the kind thing and it is just the way they are.

We are bombarded in the news by all that is wrong and all the dishonest and unscruplulos people there are out there and then there is my story of Mary to remind that it are the many many people who don't make the news who are the people that have the most impact.