Bright and Sunny (Friday Jan.23)

Today was a gloriously sunny day in Vancouver, the kind of day that makes you hum a happy song as you skip your way down the street. Morgan was even home at noon, when the kids get out of school on Fridays, so both of us went over for the pick up - a rare occasion for sure. I stayed in the car, and Morgan went up to the school to find the kids amongst the swarm of playing children. 10 minutes later I could see him returning, carrying 3 kids worth of back packs, jackets, and a violin.

Now this is the classic example of how kids take advantage of situations. I make the kids (for the most part) carry their own things. Morgan, however, ended up being the pack mule. He came to the van, I signaled for him to drop off the junk into the trunk, he fumbled the stuff into the back, and then we drove around the corner to the playground to collect the kids. It was hard to pull them away from the schoolyard, since everyone was content to enjoy the sunshine and stay after school to play. We had to go though, so away we zoomed down Oak street to drop off Morgan for his afternoon appointment.

I couldn't have been in a better mood! There was a happy buzz in the air - the spelling tests went well, the year book was ordered, the field trip got paid, the morning assembly had a magic show, and we had the whole afternoon ahead to do whatever we wanted. Our whole family happily chatted as we drove through the city. After successfully unloading Morg, and making it back home, we emptied the car, quite literally, and discovered Avery's violin was nowhere to be found. I was confused. So was Avery. I called Morgan.

"Hey. Just wondering... um, didn't you put Avery's violin in the back of the van?"
"Ya, I totally did. I had the coats, and back packs, and... oh shoot. I think I might have dropped it."
"What do you mean? Like on the grass?"
"Ah... no, not really..."
"Ok, so what are you saying then?"
"Well, I think that when I was trying to open the back hatch on the van, I might have dropped something. I sort of thought I did, but I just put all the stuff in and then got into the front."
"Hmmm. So What you're telling me is that the violin is laying in the street on 49th avenue."
"Well... yes, probably, ahh... definitely, yes."

So you can imagine that now my previously euphoric mood was completely replaced with panic (tinged with annoyance, over the fact that the dropped item wasn't investigated at the time of dropping... how typical...). 49th ave, the street along the side of the school, is a very busy street, with buses that stop every 9 minutes for our convenience, which would easily turn my son's instrument into a speed bump... Or, some person walking along could pick it up, and say, "Hey. This is an easy way to make a quick $300 on Craigslist".

I started rationalizing almost immediately. We could buy a new one. I think we have insurance - yes I did buy it, that's good... It wasn't the end of the world. I was REALLY glad Morgan had dropped it, and not ME. Maybe it would be there?? Wishful thinking! I drove around to 49th, and guess what. NO VIOLIN. Not a smashed up pile of wood in a disfigured case. Ok, maybe it was stolen after all. I pushed that out of my mind, proceeded to the school, and made my way (running) to the office. Just in case... I could only hope...

As soon as I entered the office, our Principal smiled at me.
"Jessie (Avery's teacher) has it in her room."
"Seriously??" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
"Yes. A good Samaritan lady was driving along (in her Lexus) and just happened to see you pull away from what appeared to be an instrument in the middle of the street. So she stopped her car, and took a chance that the violin might belong to a student here."

I couldn't believe our good fortune. After claiming the instrument, relief washed over me. The whole ordeal was over, almost as quickly as it had started. I felt the sunlight shining warmly on me, and realized in a warm fuzzy moment that nice people still exist. Most people, when faced with the opportunity to make a choice to do the right thing, will surrender to good conscience. The partier college student would certainly help a lost child in a store. Most drivers look out for children playing or crossing streets. And today, a valuable lost item was returned. My good mood is back, and with the bright sun, a reborn faith in humanity and renewed kinship with my community.

Am I going crazy? Maybe... yes, ok, definitely. But my Vancouver eyes aren't used to this bright sunshine, and my city-dwelling existence hasn't been used to receiving kindness from complete strangers.