Friday, August 27, 2010

Gracious Goodness

17 Ramadhan 1431

I was just finishing the maghrib prayer when the doorbell rang. Noi went to answer. It was one of the people who live on the floor above ours. She had found Noi's wallet lying on the shoe rack outside the apartment and was returning it. Noi hadn't realised she'd left it outside when coming back from doing some shopping in the late afternoon. Inside was a fair amount of cash and all sorts of important cards.

This put me in mind of a time I lost my wallet. I left it in the back of a taxi coming home one evening - I presume before we had a car. I realised I'd dropped it as the taxi sped away, but too late to stop the car, and assumed that would be the last I saw of it. A couple of days later the police contacted me to tell me the taxi-driver had handed in the wallet, intact, and all I needed to do was collect it.

It's terribly, sadly easy to recognise human folly and wickedness. But the far more obvious fact, one I'm sometimes inclined to overlook, is the casual, straightforward goodness of so many, if not most people. This is what makes us interesting and remarkable - at our best: the kindness of strangers.

The missus and I are deeply thankful for it.

No comments: