First post, but hey, let's jump right in. A blog has been on my "to-do" list for some time, & after witnessing this this morning, I couldn't wait any longer. Anyway, onward -
I currently have a roommate, a friend. Part of our arrangement is I walk the kids to school most mornings. I'd love to share a heartstring-puller about how living at my house has imbued them with hearts of gold. Another time, maybe :)
As we walked up, a young girl looked at me and pointed, asking "is that your money, did they (meaning my charges) drop it?" I walked back, looking for searching eyes, or that manic pocket-patting we all do when we can't find something. I picked up the money thinking it might've fallen from a backpack (have you seen a 5 or 8 year old's backpack? Hazard pay, I'm just sayin'). After asking them "did you bring money today?" (I knew better than to say "is this yours?") - both of my suspects replied no.
The girl likely assumed it was returned and she did her good deed for the day. I reported our thanks, but it wasn't ours, and handed it over. I could tell she was mulling over the excitement/guilt that comes with found money, so I had a flash of insight. I quietly asked if she would like to try to find the owner, or if she would like to keep it. The answer surprised me a little. After a moment, she closed her fist over the money...
...and said, "I want to find them, but I don't know how." I managed to stifle my grin, and offered to help, "I can get everyone's attention & we can find out, if you hide the money for a second." She nodded, and tucked the cash into a pocket. "If it's no one's, you can keep it." She nodded again.
Let's just say I have the ability to get people's attention when I feel like it. :)
I announced, "everyone check if you lost lunch money please, we've found some." Pretty quickly, another little girl showed us a few quarters in her hand and said she lost the $2 she had - exactly the amount found. She was grateful, said so, and the first girl gave it to her immediately. I'm guessing it's the first time either of them have been in that situation, as they were a little awkward about how to act, but they did the right thing. It was good to see.
I wanted to reward the behavior for many reasons. Call it karma, my innate desire to guide/teach, whatever. Like most people, I had ZERO cash in my wallet. However, I had a Starbucks card, for $5.73. Her best friend congratulated her & they began discussing how they could use it. A few of the less-scrupulous kids began scheming, saying "I drink coffee" to get the card, but she held her resolve. Her next act deserves comment too - as I was headed back to the crosswalk to go home, she ran over and said "I think you forgot your receipt" (which is how I know exactly what was left on it).
Other than starting the day off on a positive note, who cares, you say? Well, for me, it was a reminder and food for thought.
Opening / holding the door, saying "please", "thank you", letting people know their car windows are open are the "common" courtesies, all the more remarkable when they actually happen in the rush of life.
In my professional life, I can't count the number of times I've been surprised when an agent, appointment coordinator, loan or title officer answers their phone, or returns my call while I'm leaving them a message. I've called agents to compliment staging when it's particularly impressive, and when their directions or lockbox instructions were stellar, making my day easier. So often, I attempt to do business, yet never hear back, or I try to view a property, yet can't find the "easy to show, lockbox" anywhere.
Many of these encounters have developed into business and friendly relationships over my 7+ years in the business. All because someone knew something was "the right thing to do."
No comments:
Post a Comment