A Renewed Faith in Humanity From a Simple Gesture

Have you ever found the PERFECT Birthday Card? The absolute ONLY one that will make the receiver’s day?

We had been carting this card around with us for quite some time – months.

That’s what we do, when we find the ideal card for one of our family or friends we buy it, no matter how long it may be until the occasion that it celebrates.

This one was perfect for our oldest, The notoriously carrot-hating Piglet.

Flash forward to a sunny, wildly windy day in Lafayette, Louisiana, a parade of dogs and a birthday card for our eldest to be mailed. What a pretty picture. And it was, until I noticed that the card was no longer in my coat pocket.

That morning we had written a semi-naughty little note inside (referring to The Piglet‘s agonizing over turning twenty-seven – we couldn’t let THAT go by without a sarcastic little jibe!), enclosed a check and stamped and addressed the envelope.

I carried the card in my pocket figuring that we’d see a mailbox somewhere along the parade route. But the ridiculously cute dogs in the Krewe de Chiens Mardi Gras Parade must have distracted me. I never noticed a mailbox.

What I did notice, a little while later, was that the card was gone. It had been poking out of my pocket all day. I kept shoving it back in, but it obviously made one final poke before I could administer another shove. I panicked. How were we going to find another perfect card in time for The Piglet’s birthday?

I surveyed the immediate area, nothing. Time to retrace my steps. We hadn’t gone too far from the last place I remembered shoving the rascal back down, plus the envelope was bright blue, so I felt good about my prospects of finding the escapee.

But I retraced like a kindergartner drawing a Thanksgiving hand turkey and found nothing. The wind was whipping around and could have easily picked up the card and carried it off, but I thought the crowd or bushes or gutter or something would have stopped it. No such luck.

So I doubled back and covered our entire path for the day, still no sign of it. Time to switch into optimist mode, most certainly not my natural state. Perhaps someone picked it up and dropped it into a mailbox.

It was already stamped, so it wouldn’t take much effort, I reasoned, but I didn’t really buy it. Between the wind, the foot traffic and the dog poop – it most likely looked like just another piece of trash amongst the Mardi Gras beads and revelry.

Veronica, on the other hand is God’s own optimist. She decided it would make an interesting social experiment. She called up The Piglet and told her the story.

Now The Piglet was excited to see if the card would show up to her apartment on Manhattan. Suddenly this was way more exciting than just any old birthday card.

About a week later we got a text message, “It came!!!!!!”

Wow, someone did mail it! My faith in humanity was bolstered.

We were curious as to what kind of shape the wayward card was in, so we asked The Piglet for a picture. It was torn up, crinkled and stepped on. To think that someone took the time to mail that battered mess truly warmed our hearts. We wish we knew who it was.

Back of envelope, battered and beaten

So – to the caring Cajun at the dog parade in Lafayette who had a heart big enough to send kindness our way, thanks.

You added another seasoning to the grand gumbo of our Mardi Gras experience.

Les Bons Temps Rouler!

David, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Isn’t this incredible? It really made us think how little acts of kindness can have gigantic implications – how ’bout you?


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20 thoughts on “A Renewed Faith in Humanity From a Simple Gesture”

  1. Great story! I’m assuming most folks would definitely put in the postal (only a card to them) …. not very difficult to do.

    The big question in my mind: what did this adorable card say on the inside? Gotta know the ending! Haaa.

  2. I absolutely LOVE this! I had the privilege of meeting you two in person at the Expedia Party during TBEX in Toronto (I took a few pics of you two in FABULOUS costume). I am a HUGE fan of your blog/website and overall philosophy on life (as a Gypsynester myself)! May you continue to Be BLESSED as you BLESS others 🙂

  3. A friend shared your story with me and I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed and appreciated it. Kindness is something that keeps on giving. A group of coworkers and I have started a team with a mission to build contagious kindness in our community and in our office. I can’t wait to share your story with them. I hope you will join us on our FB page aa well. I’ll repost your story there. Here’s a link: https://www.facebook.com/KICKTEAM1?ref=hl

    KICK Team = Kindness Inspires Contagious Kindness

    Make it a kind day.

    Rod

  4. I am not surprised by Veronica’s optimism. Yes, my dear you have that kind of face. A face one would smile at, would believe and find easy to talk to. Blessings always on your wonderful adventures and stories. Hugs.

  5. That’s an great story – we also like to buy cards for people when we find something awesome, and I can definitely understand how bummed out you must have been when you lost it! There are so many good people in the world, and random acts of kindness make such an impact. 😀

  6. How very sweet! And it’s that simple for all of us to have a more positive attitude. How many people would have picked it up and mailed it or even noticed it for that matter? That kind person probably felt really good about mailing something that was clearly lost by someone who was ready to mail it off. Could have been a love letter, and they wanted to make sure it got delivered. Thanks for sharing!

  7. That is really cool. If I had found it, it probably would have sat in the car for 3 months before I remembered to mail it. But good to know there’s still good folks quietly doing the right thing.

  8. What a nice story. I am glad it all worked out for you. Just the other day, I was feeling a little low as I took my laundry to the laundry mat. A nice gentleman opened the door for me with a smile on his face. It was a small act of kindness but instantly helped me get in a better mood. Thanks for sharing!

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