By Fran McNabb
Sometimes we
only hear about the bad things that people do, and there is certainly enough of
that to go around. Every evening the news bombards us with disheartening and
sometimes tragic events that take place around the world. Today, I simply want
to share something good that happened to me.
I recently attended the RWA
National Conference in Orlando, FL. The entire five days were filled with
exciting and sometimes exhausting events. With over 2,000 attendees I’m sure there
were happenings that brought out the worst in people, but I didn’t see any of
it. My days were filled with meeting new authors, visiting with old friends, sitting
in workshops where information was shared, and listening to speakers’ uplifting
and encouraging talks.
On the return trip home at the airport something happened to me that I'd like to share. Trying to juggle my
carry-on, my purse, and a laptop that I had to remove from its carrier, I was not
the most coordinated traveler. I plopped down in a seat next to my friend who
was picking me up and waited for my luggage to come out on the conveyor. No
problem. I retrieved my huge suitcase, picked up my carry-on and walked out to
the car with my friend. As we were loading, I realized I’d forgotten my
computer.
Like all authors my computer
holds my life, my thoughts, my manuscripts—things that were irreplaceable. I
panicked. We had walked at least ten minutes from the luggage area so my friend
thought it would be quicker to drive me. It wasn’t. We couldn’t go straight to
the luggage area door. We had to follow the signs out of the airport and
then to reenter the parking area. I tried to remain calm, but I thought I was
going to hyperventilate.
When she pulled to the door, I jumped out and ran
through the door. I’m sure I looked like a wild woman with arms swinging, eyes
bulging, and breathing as fast as I could. I was sure the computer would be
gone, but as I turned the corner, I was amazed to see my computer on the seat
next to a couple.
When the man saw me, he chuckled.
“I figured someone would come flying through those doors to claim this. You
have to be that person.”
Wow. The man and his wife had sat
there and waited for me to return. He understood how important something like a
computer was to the owner. He could’ve picked it up and disappeared in the
crowd, but he didn’t.
When I got to the car holding my
computer close to my chest, my friend was as thrilled as I was. She said
several people came out laughing and she assumed they had seen me flying
through the luggage area. I, too, had to chuckle at how I must've looked.
Honest people. Yes, there are
still honest people in this world. Did I think to ask the man his name? No. I did
thank him and his wife, but I never asked his name to send him something in
return for his good deed.
As I sit here typing this on my
laptop, I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you to all the people in this
world who still hold on to admirable qualities like honesty and thoughtfulness.
We might only hear about the bad in this world, but I know for a fact that good
people still exist.
