Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers
Found a wallet today.
What do you do when you find a wallet? That's right, take all the money! No... you turn it in to the Lost & Found. What did I do? We'll get to that in a minute.
I sat in the bleachers watching my very own North Seattle Community College STORM battle the Olympic Butchers. OK, I have no idea what mascot the Olympics have, and I don't think many people do--seeing how there were only about two dozen people in the gym. Anyways, I'm sitting there, watching the game, after ducking out of my math class early, when I spy a little black object in my row.
"Looks like a wallet. I can't pick it up, those people behind me will see. I wonder if there's money in it. Probably, most wallets have money. I can see how the wallet slid right out of the guy's pocket onto these bleachers. Flopped down under his own seat, he'd never see it. Shoot, I better check for my own wallet!
Still there, zipped up in my bag, duh. Sucks for that guy though. I bet someone else already checked the wallet for money, too, damn. Ah, I wouldn't take the money out anyways. Would I? Of course not. Yeah... "
I watched the game for a bit longer, scoping out the scene, and decided to grab the wallet and take it down to the Lost & Found. In the empty, well-lit stairwell, I couldn't resist. I opened the wallet and checked to see if there was any money.
I saw some green, and quickly closed it.
"You aren't going to take it... I wonder if that was a twenty?"
Re-opened the wallet and took a closer look. Ah man, it is a twenty, and wrapped tightly with a few other bills.
"I bet those are 20's too. Yeah. Shit. That'd be like a day's work. Shut up, turn it in. The good karma is worth more than $100. Alright, alright."
Closed up the wallet and went up to the counter on my way out.
"...oh yeah, that shit was tight! Hey, hold on one sec, I'm at work." Dude behind the counter says.
"Hey, I found this wallet up in the bleachers at the game, it has got some money in it. *pause* Recognize the guy?" I say, as I flip it open and show him the driver's license. Black guy in his 30's or 40's, average build, from what I can see.
Dude studies the picture for a few seconds.
"Nah, I don't know him."
"Alright, well, just stick it in the Lost & Found then, thanks" I say on my way out.
By the time the cold air hits me, I'm feeling better. I don't think I've ever taken money out of a wallet I've found before, but I always think about it whenever I find one. On the ride home I went through dozens of possibilities of what might have happened, how I (and others) might have handled the situation differently.
Are you any more or less likely to take money from a wallet if you know the guy will or won't miss it? What if you suspect the guy at the register will take take the money out of it?
It almost seems stupid not to take the money then, eh? If I lose my wallet, unless it has an enormous amount of money in it, I could care less about the money, as long as I get back my wallet with the driver's license and credit cards all still there. I might think, 'ah, no money... that sucks, but at least I found everything else.'
I'd like to say I'd always turn in the wallet, money in tact, but who knows? I can envision some scenarios where I might take the money, if I'm dead broke and I don' t think the money will be missed terribly. Sort of like a "finder's fee" or "karma dollars" for turning in the wallet (albeit money-less). What would you do? Where is your breaking point?
What do you do when you find a wallet? That's right, take all the money! No... you turn it in to the Lost & Found. What did I do? We'll get to that in a minute.
I sat in the bleachers watching my very own North Seattle Community College STORM battle the Olympic Butchers. OK, I have no idea what mascot the Olympics have, and I don't think many people do--seeing how there were only about two dozen people in the gym. Anyways, I'm sitting there, watching the game, after ducking out of my math class early, when I spy a little black object in my row.
"Looks like a wallet. I can't pick it up, those people behind me will see. I wonder if there's money in it. Probably, most wallets have money. I can see how the wallet slid right out of the guy's pocket onto these bleachers. Flopped down under his own seat, he'd never see it. Shoot, I better check for my own wallet!
Still there, zipped up in my bag, duh. Sucks for that guy though. I bet someone else already checked the wallet for money, too, damn. Ah, I wouldn't take the money out anyways. Would I? Of course not. Yeah... "
I watched the game for a bit longer, scoping out the scene, and decided to grab the wallet and take it down to the Lost & Found. In the empty, well-lit stairwell, I couldn't resist. I opened the wallet and checked to see if there was any money.
I saw some green, and quickly closed it.
"You aren't going to take it... I wonder if that was a twenty?"
Re-opened the wallet and took a closer look. Ah man, it is a twenty, and wrapped tightly with a few other bills.
"I bet those are 20's too. Yeah. Shit. That'd be like a day's work. Shut up, turn it in. The good karma is worth more than $100. Alright, alright."
Closed up the wallet and went up to the counter on my way out.
"...oh yeah, that shit was tight! Hey, hold on one sec, I'm at work." Dude behind the counter says.
"Hey, I found this wallet up in the bleachers at the game, it has got some money in it. *pause* Recognize the guy?" I say, as I flip it open and show him the driver's license. Black guy in his 30's or 40's, average build, from what I can see.
Dude studies the picture for a few seconds.
"Nah, I don't know him."
"Alright, well, just stick it in the Lost & Found then, thanks" I say on my way out.
By the time the cold air hits me, I'm feeling better. I don't think I've ever taken money out of a wallet I've found before, but I always think about it whenever I find one. On the ride home I went through dozens of possibilities of what might have happened, how I (and others) might have handled the situation differently.
Are you any more or less likely to take money from a wallet if you know the guy will or won't miss it? What if you suspect the guy at the register will take take the money out of it?
It almost seems stupid not to take the money then, eh? If I lose my wallet, unless it has an enormous amount of money in it, I could care less about the money, as long as I get back my wallet with the driver's license and credit cards all still there. I might think, 'ah, no money... that sucks, but at least I found everything else.'
I'd like to say I'd always turn in the wallet, money in tact, but who knows? I can envision some scenarios where I might take the money, if I'm dead broke and I don' t think the money will be missed terribly. Sort of like a "finder's fee" or "karma dollars" for turning in the wallet (albeit money-less). What would you do? Where is your breaking point?
Labels: rambling
posted by MHG at
1/23/2008 09:49:00 PM
1 Comments:
Good on you. Karma will be paid to you ten-fold no doubt.
I am not sure about ym breaking point though. I guess it would depend on the circumstances.
At this point in my life I would hate to lose my wallet (I almost thought I did during my trip to Vegas in October and my heart felt like it was going to explode)... although I try not to carry much in there at all... except the important stuff. hmmm
I guess if there was 10 grand in there for some reason I might consider it because if you have that much in there, then you deserve to lose it anyway.
Who carry's that much cash in their wallet... dumb people do.
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