Monday, February 25, 2008

The good still exists

Last Thursday, I was in a huge rush trying to catch my train. I was running towards the station, and at the same time, fishing through my bag for my ticket in one hand, and my Treo in the other.

In my haste, I must have dropped my very important work key chain/bracelet which basically is a velcro wrist wraparound that contains my badge, my office key, my valuable cabinet keys, laptop key, and the almighty VPN token. My company runs strict security and the procedure to get each of those replaced will pretty much render my completely unproductive at work for a couple of days.

I've never lost anything on my way to BART or on BART before. I knew I didn't lose it on the train because I had already noticed it was gone by the time I was sitting down. I thought I must have left it at home. Once I got home, I searched for it everywhere. Drawers, cabinets, underneath the tables, inside my dog's bed, and even in the refridgerator...no sign of it! My husband suggested going to the BART station to see if anyone turned it in.

I was doubtful. First of all, I didn't think anyone would turn it in. Secondly, I wasn't fully convinced that I could have dropped it accidentally while running.

We went to the station. The agent was friendly and helpful. He pulled out a few badges to see if those were mine, and they weren't. I almost lost hope. But suddenly, he pulled out this big bulge of badge and keys. It had my horrendous photo on the badge! I was really happy-- he pretty much saved me from hours of paper work and processing to get everything replaced!!!

I thanked him for making my day! He said, "don't thank me, thank the nice person who took the time to pick it up and turn it in to us."

Not that anyone would want my badge and keys but I really didn't think that people still took the time to do the right thing anymore. It was one those good moments where I realized that there are still plenty of good left in society.

I'm really glad I found my work badge/keys and VPN token.

4 comments:

SongMonk said...

I think there are plenty of good people left in the world. In fact, I believe that most people are basically good. I think society is far more afflicted with laziness and selfishness and inconsiderateness than it is with maliciousness or ill-will.

Maybe a few people walked past your keys without doing anything, but all it took was one considerate person to come along before one malicious person did, and I think the odds of that are actually pretty good!

Anonymous said...

I agree with songmonk.

I also had an incident where my badge/vpn key fell on BART property. I used to BART/bike commute, and while carrying my bike down the stairs, it must've dislodged the badge/vpn key clip holder-thing & they fell. Next thing I know, I hear my name from behind me, which I thought odd & turned around, there was my badge staring at me. A gentleman must've seen the badge fall and picked it up. Thankfully, as there happened to be quite a few people walking down the stairs at the same time. Very thankful to the individual.

Anonymous said...

Most people will give it to either an agent, or a train operator. However, there can be a delay - the train operator might not have time to turn it in until the end of his run. The agent may not have time to check stuff, until after the commute. Two tips -
1. The quicker you start looking, the better odds you have. Don't wait til the end of the day.
2. Have your name on it - or your nickname - so they can identify you.

There is a process of logging and tagging items, and usually each station has a locker or closet for the lost stuff. The locker gets emptied (but not every day) and the contents get taken to 12th street (Lost and Found).

Anonymous said...

Lost and found at the 12th Street Station? good information.