The lost key
I just got back from a warm and sunny trip to Thailand to a cold and snowy Stockholm.
I do appreciate the contrasts, though. They make everyday life more interesting and give you a sense of progress. About ten years ago, I lived in Thailand for a year, and the thing I missed most was the real seasons — spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Anyway, the first thing I did when I got home was go out to get some groceries. When I came back, I realized I had lost my apartment key. I’d had it with me for two months in Thailand — in bags, in pockets, on motorcycles, on boats, in cars — and on my very first day back home, I lost it. I couldn’t believe it.
If there’s such a thing as good weather for losing your keys, this was not it. The streets were covered in deep snow and somewhere out there was a little key with a tiny white tag. The chances of finding it were slim, but I tried my best.
I slowly walked back to every place I’d been, searching carefully. I also asked all the stores along the way if anyone had turned in a key in the last half hour or so. Same answer every time: “No, sorry.”
Eventually, I gave up and called my mom to tell her I was coming over to get the spare key — a three-hour round trip. As I was talking to her, I spotted some kind of service box. And there it was. My key! Someone kind had found it in the snow and left it there, hoping the owner would come back.
It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if I hadn’t found it, of course, but things like that just make you feel so good. Not only because of the hassle saved, but because it gives you that warm feeling of people doing something for no personal gain — just to help a stranger.
It gives you hope. It makes you feel warm, even in a cold Sweden.
To whoever you are, stranger:
Thank you! ❤️
