a genuinely nice thing happened....

 Today is the 3rd day of the 16th week, the 16th day of the 4th month, the 107th day of 2024, and:

• Blue Umbrella Day
• Day of the Mushroom - sounds like the movie sequel to Day of the Triffids, doesn't it?  
• Emancipation Day - this DC holiday sometimes affects Tax Day
• Foursquare Day
• Free Cone Day
• National Bean Counter's Day - does being in Loan Servicing make me a bean counter? 
• National Eggs Benedict Day
• National Healthcare Decisions Day
• National Librarian Day
• National Library Workers Day
• National Orchid Day
• National Stress Awareness Day - the first workday after income taxes are due.  And trust me, I am very much aware of the stresses and strains of everyday life of late
• National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day - which, you have to admit, is a whole lot easier to do when you are working from home!
• Save the Elephant Day
• Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day - and teach her to stand up for herself, making sure she is paid full value for her time when she is on the clock as well,  Far too often, women in the workplace are expected to take on extra tasks for which they get neither credit nor recompense
• World Semicolon Day
• World Voice Day
• and Voyager I is 15,125,264,104 mi / 24,341,760,564 km / 162.71461921 AU from Earth 

Quote of the day:

"What you do today can improve all your tomorrows."

~ Ralph Marston -  writer and publisher of  The Daily Motivator since 1995

My direct report is still feeling under the weather, so we switched days and I am in the office today.  She probably will work from home tomorrow as well, even though it is the day we all come in, as she doesn't want to give anyone else her cold - which I appreciate - but is planning to come in on Thursday since only one other person will be here.

I don't know how I used to get up and out every single day pre-COVID, as I have commented before.  This morning was no different, but seemed to go smoothly.  They even had my drinks ready when I stopped at Starbucks!  Getting out of the car entails juggling laptop bag, pocketbook, and the bag with my meals for the next two days of lunch with the Starbucks two drinks and oatmeal.  I always check to make sure I have my office keys and then I lock the car door and put the keys either in the pocket of my coat or a pocket on my purse.

So, I'm sitting at my workstation, typing away, soft music playing next to me.  The senior lender, who is at lunch, suddenly comments that he thinks he hears someone knocking on the door.  I get up, walk the length of the office and open the door.  

A strange man, a little taller than I am, bearded and in a blue leisure suit is standing there with his phone out.  I smile and ask politely if I can help him

"Does anyone here have a silver car?" he asks.

Startled, I said I do.  I'm immediately wondering if someone has stolen my license plate again, after all, it's happened twice while I was at work, or maybe someone crashed into it and took off....

He then announces that "today I am your guardian angel", and extends his hand to me.

And he is holding my car keys.

I gasped and said "oh my God I must've dropped them when I thought I put them in my pocketbook".

And he explained that he was on his phone and happened to look down and saw the keys,  He clicked it, and of course, my car beeped.  I was in a parking place marked for Potomac Business Services, so he checked in the lobby and found we were in suite 305, so he came up and delivered them to me.

I hadn't known they were gone.

I don't remember what I said other than thank him profusely.  I hope he knows just how much appreciated his kindness and his willingness to take the time and effort to be helpful.  I don't know who he was or why he was here in the parking lot.  But I do know I was so lucky!  Someone else might've just left them lay there - and I could imagine the total panic that would ensue as I got ready to leave and couldn't find my keys.  Another person might've hopped into the car and taken off, maybe stopping at Starbucks and splurging on the way [the card is full].  

It was nice, in the midst of all this gloom and doom and tension and distrust, to realize that there are still genuinely good people around.