So, for the past few weeks, I've had to borrow my parents' cars to get around and get jobs done.
As a result of switching up vehicles frequently, I have left a little piece of me (i.e. my stuff) in each vehicle. So when I was headed out last night (1/23) for (what I thought would be some filming at) the Open Mic my friend hosts, I had to go in each car to assemble my gear.
Tripod in one car ... Lights in another ... etc, etc.
As I retrieved each item, I put it on the trunk of my mom's car (my transportation for the night) -- Camera bag. Tripod, Purse, Laptop bag. [I have a habit of putting all my stuff on the hood or trunk to make sure I have everything BEFORE I put it in the car, so this is common.] ...
I then put my camera bag and tripod in the back seat and covered it with my coat (because I was making a stop at Starbucks to get a little work done before the event).
As I put my purse in the front seat, I remembered I'd forgotten something so I went inside to get it and came back out and got in the car.
I made my way across town, to the Starbucks closest to the event venue and parked. I reached for my laptop bag on the passenger side (where I usually place it) but --- No bag.
I look in the backseat ... No bag.
I frantically start tossing everything in the car looking for the bad ... Nada.
I knew I didn't go in the trunk so there was no reason to go in there ... and then I remembered how I'd piled everything on the trunk.
My next thought: O ... M .... G!
I tried not to panic and prayed that I was wrong.
Maybe I'd taken it inside the house and forgot it inside ... Or maybe it just fell in the driveway or in the garage (but that last thought was immediately followed by -- But I would've remembered backing over it right?)
I called the house and asked my Mom to look for the bag.
She didn't see it.
I thought well maybe she's just not looking hard enough and decided to head back the way I came and retrace my steps to find the missing bag.
With less than an hour until the event, and my living all the way across the city, I sped back down the interstate ... scanning the other side of roads to see if I spotted the bag. Nothing.
When I made it back home. I didn't even pull into the garage ... Just stopped in the middle of the driveway and ran for my life to look through the house. No bag in the dining room/living room. Not in the kitchen. Nowhere to be found in the house.
Now, I was in panic mode.
I stood in the garage ignoring the cold trying to compose myself.
The thought of my life's work being gone made it hard to breath or think of anything else.
My writing, my photos -- heck even my notebook, phone charger and external hard drive was in that bag ... Everything -- just GONE.
Now I had to hope and pray that I missed seeing the bag on my way back ... Or that if someone picked it up, they were honest people, because I would lose it if my stuff was pawned or sold for a quick buck on the street.
I slowly walked back to the car prepared to go back down my route, though hope of finding it was slim.
I'd left my phone on the driver's seat and picked it up to sit down and saw I had a missed call from a number I didn't have in my Contacts, and a new voicemail message.
Something said "Call that number back" ... So I did.
When the person answered, I asked if they'd called me. The thick-Southern-accented man on the other end confirmed that he did and after asking my name he almost shouts: "It's your lucky day!" ...
He'd found my bag laying in the middle of the road.
After my heart cartwheeled with glee, he told me he was at a Wal-Mart close by and I agreed to meet him up there to get it.
As I drove to meet him, I just thanked God for answering my prayer that a good, honest person would find it and I would get the center of my personal and professional world back.
I was so grateful. I wished I had some kind of reward to give him but I didn't, so I made a mental note to get his information so I could somehow repay him later.
When we finally met up, he told me where he'd found it.
He said he drove by and saw it in the middle of the road after seeing other cars swerve to avoid running over it, and he held up the battered and torn case.
If that hadn't been in the case, he may have never found me since my laptop was password protected.
He also told me he'd turned on the computer to make sure it was okay and it was ... and then handed me the case.
He said he saw the college papers and knew that it was important to someone so he wanted to return it (as did his wife lol).
I thanked him immensely and handed him my business card and offered any services he wanted for free (which is all I could give at this time).
I wish I could've given him more ... I mean the man just saved my life! But he seemed to just be happy that I got it back ...
After parting ways, I just sat in the car for a while ... then looked over at my laptop case.
Though the outside was beaten and torn, everything on the inside was fine. Everything was okay, thanks to God and a Good Neighbor -- Freddy Neighbors, that is.
I not only thank both of them for showing me that good, honest people do exist and reminding me that angels walk among us ... but the case itself taught me a symbolic lesson.
We all make mistakes -- like I did leaving the case on the trunk. These are honest mistakes, but they can turn our world upside down ... and may even leave us a little battered and bruised,
But if you have faith, He will protect you and everything will turn out okay.
- m
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