Like a fairy tale!

This is a story of Thankfulness and Gratitude and The Kindness of Strangers.  So, get ready, because It’s Good People day on That Man Quilts.

I got to Minnesota, where it was freezing…no, not just freezing, but FREEZING!  Thank goodness for my nice coat, which impressed everyone that I told I’d made it.  The folks from Cleveland all said I had a nicer winter coat than they did.  And, from my observations, it was true.

Anyway, I was delayed in Dallas again…it’s becoming the story of my traveling life, I guess and I should learn to expect it and to be flexible.  One of my co-workers was also delayed and we got there at similar times and took a cab together to meet the rest of the group for dinner.  I paid the cabbie with a credit card.  We went into the restaurant.  I went to put the receipt in my wallet and there was no wallet.  No picture ID to be able to fly home with, no credit cards to check into the hotel with, very little cash in my pocket. 

And, there was panic.  We checked the street, we went through my clothes, and I called the cab company to see if the driver could check his cab.  But, I didn’t know the cab number, so all they could do was send a bulletin to anyone who’d had a drop where we were dropped. 

And, there was more panic.  I really don’t know how I got through dinner.  Part of it was talking to Rob, who was able to check the TSA website to find out what you do if you lose your ID on a trip.  Turns out that’s probably not as bad as it sounds, because they have other ways of proving you are who you say you are.  So, that made me feel better and I got through dinner.  When we got back to the hotel, my boss used her credit card to check me in and I filed a missing property report with the police department and found the cab number on my receipt and called the cab company again.

Now, the cab company was TERRIFIC!  They went out of their way to keep me informed.  They called my driver and he didn’t answer, so they left him a message and called me back to keep me updated.  Soon as they heard from him, they said they’d let me know.

The next morning, I put a block on my cards, just in case I never saw the wallet again.  It made me feel better that no one had tried to use them. 

A little while later, the cab company called to tell me they had reached the driver and he would check his cab and they would call me back.

A bit later, they called back and the driver had my wallet.

An hour later, the driver delivered my wallet to my hotel, and didn’t charge me a cab fare for it, though I gave him a nice tip.  He apologized to me.  Can you believe it?  Here I was, excessively grateful for all he had done and he’s apologizing to me, like he didn’t do enough.  Maybe he thought I was going to accuse him of taking it.  But, that was the furthest thing from my mind.  If he’d had nefarious intent, I never would have seen that wallet again.

Anyway, apparently, I tried to put the wallet in my coat pocket and missed, and it fell between the back seat and the door.  No one else could see it there, so it stayed there until the driver hunted for it. 

I was far too happy to cry. 

So, now, I will be making a list of my credit card company phone numbers.  That’s all you need.  You don’t need the credit card number to block the card.  You do need to know your personal info, and in my case, that included my driver’s license number, which I happen to know by heart. 

And, I’m thinking of getting one of those wallets that chains to your belt loop for when I travel.  Okay, maybe not.  No need to send the fashion police.  But, I did learn a very important lesson and I got lucky, lucky, lucky!  Keep my hands on my wallet at all times.  And, for the rest of the trip, I did just that, keeping it mostly in my front pocket, where it was uncomfortable, but I always knew it was there.

When, I called to reactivate my cards, the reps were very impressed and all three told me “that never, ever happens.”

So, that’s my fairy tale experience in Minneapolis this week.  Other than that, it was just a trip.  I stayed out of the cold as much as I could and when I was out, I was thoroughly swaddled in very warm clothes, so other than a couple of times my toes got cold, I remained comfortable by adding and removing layers. 

(Thanks Barb, for reminding me to do that!)

Everybody have a great Friday.  We’re expecting storms tomorrow, but otherwise, it’s warm here.  Yesterday, when I left Minneapolis, it was 1*.  When I got to Dallas, it was 59*.  And, when I got to my house in Austin, it was 75*.  Unfortunately, I can’t convince my body of that and I’m feeling cold all the time.  But, my brain will eventually wrap itself around the fact of my surviving the cold and I will hopefully start to feel warm again soon. 

Take care.  And, take a few minutes to study what you need to do in case you ever lose your wallet on a trip.  There are some things you can do to protect yourself and I will be doing them.

Lane