I had a terrible day a couple of days ago. I lost my keys! That may not seem like a big deal to you, but it certainly was to me. On my key chain I had my house key, my room key, and a little electronic beeper thing that functions as a key to our dining hall. I think I lost it in the middle of the commercial district as I was walking down to the river. I guess I don't have to tell you how stinkingly awful that experience was. In order to replace all three keys, I would have to pay a whopping £75 (about $122). Being a broke college student, that's quite a bit of money to me.

I did everything I could think of to find them. I retraced my steps, searched all my pockets, went back to the dining hall. I even phoned the police station's lost and found. They said no one had turned any keys in that day. Actually, I doubted anyone would go out of their way to turn in a set of lost keys. I had just about given up all hope of finding them when I just said a little prayer to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost articles. If, by the way, any of you lose something, I would highly recommend a little prayer to St. Anthony. He's so good at pointing you in the right direction. I've been asking for his guidance for many many years now and I usually find what I'm looking for. Here's a link to a short prayer, but I often just say a little prayer of my own. Usually it goes a little something like this: "Hi, St. Anthony. It's me again. Sorry, but I seem to have misplaced my _____________. Could you please say a little prayer for me and help me find it? I promise to be more careful with it next time. Thanks! Amen."

Anyway, I was downtown today and I figured it wouldn't hurt to check the lost and found again. Instead of phoning in, I went to the police station in person. The front desk officer gave me a drawer full of tagged lost keys. I really didn't want to get my hopes up, but I just wanted to check it anyway in a last ditch effort.


Anyone who has ever lost anything valuable and recovered it later on, will know my feeling. I was on top of the world! You don't know how valuable keys are until you've lost them. You can't get in your house, or your room, or anything.

I have no idea who turned in my keys and I probably never will. But I still want to say thank you. So here is a little note to the kind soul who found my keys and to all the good samaritans out there who have helped someone find what they've lost.


Dear Kind Stranger,
You have no idea how happy you've made me feel. You have raised me up from the depths of my gloom to the height of joy. Not only have you returned my keys to me, but you have restored my faith in mankind. I know that may seem like an exaggeration (or a drowsy side-effect of this blissful high I'm feeling right now), but I assure you that it is not. I feel a bit ashamed now at doubting that anyone would have the kindness to go out of their way in order to help out a complete stranger. And you are not the only one. When I peered into that huge drawer brimming with all those lost keys, I realized how many honest and considerate people there are in the world. Every set of keys in that drawer represents an act of kindness. Moreover, it is a selfless act of kindness. No one will get a reward, or a handshake, or even a nod of gratitude. Those people, like you, have done a kindness that could never be repaid. In other words, thank you.