I once lost a purse that had my address book in it. That was a bigger loss to me than the money I had in there. I would have given anything to whoever found it, including all the money, to have that back because it had phone numbers and addresses of family and friends in there that I didn’t know by memory. I caused me more grief in the long run having lost that.

I’ve found bills on sidewalks a couple of times before. At school, I handed them in; at the rest stop, I kept one I found because there was no way to tell who had dropped it. I’ve also given back change when people give me too much money, like on the subway, whenthe operator thought I was nuts for giving them back a dollar. What they aren’t thinking about is that if they make that many mistakes all day, their drawers will come up short.

I know what it feels like to have a manager give you a penalty because not everyone can make change properly. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

But a wallet? Dude, I would turn that in unless someone was holding my child for ransom. If you are meant to have the money, no one will claim it, and the police will give it to you after 30 days.

Besides, rich people usually use plastic (I’m not advocating anyone steal from the rich, but if people are using that as an excuse…). It’s people like Shiloh’s poor man and blue-collar workers with small paychecks who carry around envelopes of cash.

Back when I was in high school, I did cashiering. One of the girls I worked with found a white envelope in her aisle. No name, no ID, nothing. Had about $300 in it.

She turned it in. Later, she told me about it and I was thinking…man, I dunno, I might have kept it. But as we were talking, this old man walked in. In his 80s, fixed income. We knew the guy. He was a sweet as he could be, widowed, always smiling.

Well, he’d lost the money he received for the month. It was all he had. He didn’t trust banks…I think it had something to do with the depression and he only used cash.

After he cashed his monthly check, he’d come into the store to do his shopping. Dropped the envelope.

It was all he had for the month, it was early in the month, and it was winter. God only knows how far he had to make that money stretch.

He came in, goes up to the manager and asks, hopefully but not quite expecting anything. You could hear it in his voice, on his face as he told the manager how much money was in the envelope, even the denominations of the bills.

When the manager gave him the envelope and pointed out my honest friend, the look on his face–eh, well I can tell you that there’s been some things I’ve done that made me feel pretty small. But very few things ever made me feel that small, that petty and greedy.

My friend’s honesty that day did something for that man that still stays with me to this day. It’s been sixteen years and I can still recall it all so vividly. She did the right thing. I don’t know if we could say she did him a favor since the right thing shouldn’t ever be a favor.

But she sure as hell did me one. It made enough of an impact on me that I still remember it. Maybe it’s one of the subconscious things that still influence my decisions, even over something as silly as $6 worth of salad dressing.

It did have his ID, but no contact. I had to Info call his wife. Not the most comfortable phone call to make until I go to the part … “and I found his wallet”. Strange woman calling was forgiven at that point.

Karma’s a bitch.

I will never forget how awful I felt, and how hard it was to make up that two weeks’ pay.

Just two weekends ago I found a neighbor’s paycheck in the driveway of our townhome complex. He’d already endorsed it, so I could have easily deposited it in my bank account without anyone knowing, and Lord knows I need the money. There was that split second flash of greed, but it was easily and quickly outweighed by doing the right thing. He’d never know, but I would. Actually even with the check in my hand, it wasn’t like I really gave keeping it a thought… more of a ‘Gee, if I weren’t so compulsively honest, think what this could do’ sort of idea.

By whatever name you call it — justice, karma, divine retribution, etc — the results are the same. I like to think that I’ll be rewarded for my good deeds just as I’d be disciplined for the dishonest ones, so on balance it will come out in my favor. Sure, I lost out on some easy cash, but eventually I’ll be rewarded in some other way.

Diane )

I think, being that there’s identification in it, yes I would return it. I don’t think I’d be able to justify not, because clearly the owner could be found easily.

Those people who find unmarked envelopes with thousands in them and turn them in to the police? No, no I don’t think I would at all. If there’s id, it becomes another person’s money and yeah i start thinking of their situation and what losing it would mean to them. But those unmarked envelopes of cash people find laying about? Nope, that would be my money the second I found it. I don’t think upstanding people with sick kids are walking around with envelopes of cash on them, so I don’t think I’d feel obligated to turn unmarked money in.

Shoot, I was in a local produce shop the other day and the lady forgot to charge me for some salad dressing. Two bottles, a whopping six bucks. But I already knew what the total should be and when she mentioned what it was, I told her that didn’t sound right and she must have forgotten something. If I can’t think of getting six bucks worth of oil, vinegar and seasonings without paying for it, I can’t imagine taking 3k that isn’t mine.