Lesson from my former Granny Cart

A month ago, I left my granny cart on the bus. If you're not familiar, this is a granny cart:

These are the Jerusalem version of cars. They are essential for most residents, regardless of age, status, or gender. In other words, they're not just for Grannies. Or so I tell myself.

Anyway, after I left mine on the bus, I didn't rush to the Central Bus Station lost and found because we were in the midst of the holidays, I didn't have time, I wasn't on a normal shopping schedule since we were away so much, and I didn't feel my granny cart's absence until last week when I wanted to shop and didn't want to pay 50 shekels for a cab to drive it all back with me from the store.

So I dragged myself and the baby to the lost and found. When I tried to gain access  (by employee swipe card only) to the staircase that would take me to the offices where the lost and found could be...found..the gatekeeper asked me which busline I lost it on (I didn't remember)- when I lost it (a month ago), and assured me that there was no point in looking for it, and denied me access.

A bit annoying but no big deal. I bought a new cart this week, which was less than the cost of two cab rides from the grocery store. My old cart had been bumped down the stairs too many times, anyway.

There was, however, a valuable lesson here which I had the opportunity to apply today, with great results.

A friend of mine sounded a bit down on the phone yesterday. I asked her what was wrong. It turns out she had lost her monthly bus pass, her siddur (daily prayerbook), and her Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card- you can't even pick up a package at the post office without this one). Three significantly personal and necessary possessions, gone in one day (at different times of the day. ouch.) To make matters worse, she only realized her ID card was gone when two undercover policemen cornered her on the street for 'looking suspicious' and insisted she produce it. Not the best day of her life.

A very pious person, she told me she was trying to accept that the items were gone, that she was trying to correct whatever needed to be corrected in her which caused this to happen, and that she had donated money to charity and increased her prayer regimen. I asked her if she'd called Egged (the Jerusalem bus company). She had not. Nor did she have time the following day (today) to go and look for her items.

I thought of my former granny cart, and decided to take action. So I went today on her behalf. And guess what?

 ALL 3 ITEMS WERE THERE!! Including her bus pass which is worth hundreds of shekels and could be used by anyone. No, some kind person returned that, too.

Moral of the story: don't wait around. Do things when they need to get done.