Giving Thanks

I was lost in thought as I got up from the seat on the bus to get out. I was just turning into the steps of the upper deck with a lost expression when I looked at the girl who took the opportunity to grab the row of two empty seats I was sitting on.

“This is yours?” she asked, showing me my phone on the seat.

“Holy cow!”

I thanked her and started walking back.

“You were lucky.” the guy behind me said. “She was a good girl.”

I nodded.

As I walked out, the mental post mortem began. Instinct told me I would have checked my pockets just as I got off the bus but what if someone dishonest had put it in their bag. If it had to go wrong, it would have..

I’ve lost my phone twice in the 6 years I’ve had phones – once when it fell off my pocket in a movie theatre in Singapore and the other time when I had it snatched off my hand in a tube station in London. Both times have been incredibly painful. The logistics of losing a phone is not fun at all.

As I walked into my apartment muttering my thanks, I thought I’d write about it and give my thanks as well.

And here’s why – We tend to emphasize the negative more by nature. That’s one of the things I’ve been working to change about myself – to see the positive wherever possible.

Imagine I had lost my phone. I’m sure I would have written about it or some related learning about losing things. But it seemed a bit like the moment I had a reprieve like yesterday, I was ready to brush it off as if it was inconsequential when it wasn’t.

So, I’d just like to pause for a moment and thank the lord and lady luck for sparing me the inevitable trouble this would have caused. And a special thank you for the girl who returned my phone. I don’t know your name or what you do but I sure hope the good karma helps.

We only realize the beauty of a normal functioning stomach when we have a stomach ache, after all. And this is a thank you to the skies for all the things working well.