The Day I Lost Something...and Got Back More Than I Expected

Today, I lost my credit card and ID while out on a hike. Somewhere between trail markers and tall grass, they slipped away unnoticed. I didn’t realize they were gone until much later, and by then, the panic had set in.

I retraced every step, thinking, “How could I be so careless?”

I imagined worst-case scenarios—someone racking up charges, identity theft, the whole spiral.

I had already written the story in my head:

I’m irresponsible. People can’t be trusted. It’s just my bad luck.

But then, something beautiful happened. Hours later, my cards were returned to my home. No note. No name. Just an envelope left at the door. Someone had gone out of their way to do something kind for a stranger—and didn’t wait around to be thanked.

And just like that, the story shifted. It became a story about kindness. About unseen goodness. About how maybe—just maybe—the world is more generous than I’ve been telling myself.

We talk a lot in my work about rewriting personal narratives, about questioning the stories we’ve inherited or rehearsed for too long. Moments like this are the perfect reminders: not all rewrites are grand epiphanies. Sometimes they’re quiet edits, prompted by a stranger’s kindness.

So I’m asking myself:

• What would change if I trusted more in people’s goodness?

• How can I start rewriting the “worst-case scenario” story I always default to?

• And maybe most importantly… how can I pay this kindness forward?

How will you pay forward kindness this week? How will you rewrite your narrative to reflect goodness in the world?