How to Renew Your Faith in the Human Race

Last night Roy and I went to Borders, and I found a ton of books I wanted. I pulled out my handy moleskine to write it all down. This morning I could not find my moleskine anywhere. I frantically poured everything out of my purse and searched everywhere I could think of. No moleskine. I was a little upset about this. Even though I've barely begun to put the thing to good use, it had a few things in it that I didn't really want a total stranger to see. (I use my notebooks for pretty much everything: shopping lists, want lists, journal entries, food diaries, etc.)

So we made the trek back to Borders. I went to the information desk to see if anyone had turned it in, while Roy retraced our steps from last night. I was shocked to find that someone had indeed turned in my moleskine! I was ecstatic to hear of this good news, and in my mind, I was thanking this good-hearted stranger profusely.

With moleskine in hand, I headed up the art/photography aisle to look for Roy. I was stopped short by a middle-aged man accompanied by a young boy and a lady (his son and wife, respectively) waving and smiling at me like we were old friends. The guy didn't look familiar at all, so I turned around to make sure there was no one behind me. There wasn't.

Cautiously, I asked, "Are you waving at me?"

Very friendly man (VFM): "Yes, hi."

Me: "Oh! Hi! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Very friendly man's wife: "He just likes to wave at people."

Me: "Oh, okay."

VFM: "Have a good day."

Me: "Okay, thanks. You, too."

It was very odd, but it left me with a good feeling. That encounter combined with finding my moleskine has renewed my faith in the human race.

For today, anyway.