On Wednesday, March 20th, I went to see a movie at the downtown Phoenix AMC Theatre in the middle of the afternoon and when I came out, my beloved bike, which had been locked to a bike rack on the side of the building, was gone.  After going through the usual “maybe I locked it somewhere else” routine for 15 minutes I had to accept the fact that someone had STOLEN it.

After walking home, I got in my car and started cruising around downtown looking for it but really had little hope.  I made a flier to put up in a few places like the downtown ASU campus and then because I had read an article about finding their property on Craigslist, I started looking on there.  I didn’t really expect to find anything, so imagine my surprise when I see this ad placed four hours after my bike was stolen:

Not much to go on, but I just had a feeling.  My bike fit the (limited) description, and since I had my frame powdercoated there were no markings as to the manufacturer, and usually people selling bikes will put at least the make and model if there is one they can see.  I decided to call the guy up…

I got the guy on the phone (he said his name was Al) and gave him a story about wanting a simple single speed bike for my wife (I’m actually single) and asked a few questions but nothing too detailed; I didn’t even ask the color.  Al volunteered that it had “big tires” on it and I responded that I didn’t really want a bike with knobby tires because she was going to ride on the street.  He responded that the tires were large, but smooth and not knobby.  Gotcha, man!  Who else but me has a single-speed 29er with 2.25″ Schwalbe Big Apple tires on it??  THIS WAS MY BIKE.

I said maybe I could come see it the next day and acted like I was in no rush and he said that he could show it to me anytime the next morning up around I-17 and Northern.  I said I would call him in the morning and see if we could arrange something, trying not to act too eager, which I certainly WAS at this point.

Needless to say, sleep was difficult if not impossible that night.

I called Al the next morning after having picked my buddy Nathan to help with this (as I mentioned, he and I had caught a guy who stole his bike months earlier; I still need to write about that one, which was pretty interesting).  I had filed a police report online, and then called the Phoenix Police to ask how to handle the situation.  They said the way they work it is to have me arrange the meeting, then call the police about 15 minutes before from a nearby location to show them my ownership evidence (photos of me with the bike, a list of components and markings on the bike) and to devise a plan.  So here we go…

I dropped Nathan off at the meet location about 40 minutes ahead of time to act as a scout and we stayed in constant contact through text.  A typical interaction:

Nathan: “All still clear.”   Wayne: “Roger.”

Yeah, we were playing spy, but why not?  We might have a chance to get my bike back!

I wasted some time before calling the police about 25 minutes later.  They showed up, I showed them my report and ownership evidence and explained it all.  We decided that I would wait for the guy at the meeting location and as soon as Nathan saw him riding up he would call one of the officer’s cellphones and tell him the guy was there with the bike.

Then I get a call from Al asking if I was there and asking if my (fictional) wife was with me.  I said she couldn’t make it because of work but if it would fit me then it would be fine for her.  I don’t know if he had spied me and called to see why I was alone, but he said he could be there in a couple of minutes.  Like two minutes later, the guy rides up ON MY BIKE (I knew it!) and we started to chat.  I kept my composure though I wanted to throttle him, but didn’t want him running before the police arrived either.  I looked the bike over and asked a question or two to waste some time until the police arrived, and the next thing I know Nathan comes flying around the corner and two Phoenix Police SUVs roll up fast and box us in.

STUNG!

I then got pissed and told the guy “You need to talk to these officers; you stole my fucking bike man!” then gave him a hard shove away from my bike before the one of the officers told me to stop because I think he didn’t want me getting in trouble.  I wanted to punch the guy but doing that in front of two police officers would probably not be the smartest thing.  Plus this may sound weird, but a small part of me felt sorry for the guy; he was probably in his forties and didn’t seem agile enough to have stolen it so I’m sure some one else stole it and then he just sells them.  I’m not saying that makes him a good guy, but he certainly didn’t look like he was getting rich off of this; I guess it is just his (bad) way of getting by.

Just before we left, this was the scene:

Yeah, my buddy Nathan looks pretty pleased but I guarantee you that my smile on the other side of the camera was at least as big.  And as we get into the car to drive off, Nathan turns to me and excitedly says the exact same words to me as I did to him several months ago when we caught the guy who stole HIS bike:

“Dude, can you believe it??  We got your bike back!!”

Maybe the excitement comes because so few people are fortunate enough get back what gets stolen from them.  A sad fact.

Well this time, score one for the victim.

So I am headed to get some coffee at 10am and I see this in the middle of my street; I mean like right in the middle:

Looks like a wallet, though hey, it could be just empty.  Let’s see:

Whoops!  I’ll bet someone wants this one back!

So this was much easier than the last time: quick jump onto Facebook, find out that we have FIVE “friends” in common (when talking about friends on Facebook, the word “friends” screams out to me for air quotes, and sometimes actual quotes), send a quick message with my cell number, get a phone call back in no time, then the person came and picked it up at my house.  It’s amazing that the person got it back as they had dropped it while bicycle bar-hopping around downtown at 10pm the previous evening, and we have a lot of people who walk the streets in the early morning.  It sat there for 12 hours just waiting for someone to do the right thing.

And of course, just like last time, when asked what I wanted in exchange, I asked that this person just do something to help a stranger at their next opportunity.  Just pay it forward, to which the person wholeheartedly agreed.

I don’t offer this story to make people think I am some great person; big deal, I gave back a wallet.  I think returning a wallet to an owner is something every person I know would do as well, so I am just using this to make a point about doing for others, because sometimes your small efforts on your part can have big results for other people.  And not for the reasons you might think.

Our country seems to have become so divided and argumentative that we seem to seldom realize we are still all just human beings trying to get by in the world.  So what can a good deed do?  Aside from the deed itself, it can remind us that most people DO care about other people, even those with whom they might disagree.

We get to see that people care all the time with any BIG crisis, like a hurricane, or earthquake, or any other devastation that affects lots of people.  People volunteer their time, food, money and whatever they can to help when lots of people are in trouble.

But what about when ONE person is in trouble?  We don’t know when that might be because it often not obvious; there is seldom news footage of just one person having a really hard time in life, especially one who happens to cross our path.

So it seems simple: when given the chance to do good, take it.  When given the chance to do bad, steer away.  But pay attention, because the smallest efforts might end up being the most important.

Lecture over, and thanks for listening.

We all do stupid things, I suppose, though as someone who has not always been aware of the effect of my words and actions in the past I really try to keep close watch on that particular part of me (and have for the last ten years).  Whether it is just cracking jokes without realizing I have hurt someone’s feelings or letting my anxiety get the best of me so I am no longer trying to resolve the issue but rather just trying to get the discussion over so I can stop feeling uncomfortable.  I really do make the effort.

And yet at times I fail.  And I hate when I do.

So many people would say “come on, don’t be so hard on yourself”. I disagree; I think the best way to learn from mistakes is to BE hard on yourself. Not for a long time, not in a way that makes you think you are a bad person in general, but certainly enough to learn the lesson thereby reducing the chances of it happening again. We do tend to remember unpleasantness, and if the realization and evaluation of some of your own behavior is unpleasant then perhaps it is less likely to happen again.

So be hard on yourself.  Learn a lesson.  And maybe it will be the last time it need be learned, which will be better for you and especially for those around you.

Lecture over.

I love the part about “you will never try to catch me in a net or touch my mermaid fin”.

Maybe we all need to know such things about those we love.

So all in this one photo are an ice axe, an electric drill, a dual-tone horn kit for a car and an, uh, body fluid cleanup kit?? Please not I did not gather these things together; they were sitting right next to one another.

That’s a lot of variety in two square feet.

And here are some of those keyfobs for people who like everyone to know what kind of car they drive when they are not near their car but DO have their keys. I expect to see “Porsche”, “BMW” or even “Camaro” from the more blue collar types, but I did not expect to see these:

If I could find a Yugo one, my world would be complete.

So imagine my joy when I stumbled across a collection of cleaning mitts by Simply Human when perusing the weird stuff at a Ross store the other day.  Score!

So it includes a mitt for cleaning stainless steel, a mitt for cleaning glass and mirrors, and two mitts for general cleaning (one of which I am using for wood cleaners and one for general kitchen stuff).  All for only $9.99!  They are $19.99 at Amazon, but this is ROSS, man!

So here they are:

Yeah, so the two things on the left are my lint mitt (a winner!) and my, er, SHOWER GLOVES.  But those are just for efficiency.  Why clean with one hand when you can use two?!?

I adMITT, I have a problem.

Sweet!  An iPod Touch, loaded with music, games and all sorts of apps!  I’m a winner!

But then I noticed something else; it also had access to the Gmail account of the owner, so I had his email address.  And there were pictures of his recent vacation to Costa Rica.  And of his kids.  It was obvious that this is something he would like to have back.

So I emailed him twice with no response, which was interesting since I could SEE the emails getting to his Gmail account and see that they were unread.  I don’t think he uses Gmail for much so it was starting to look like “Hey, I did my part and now I have a new iPod Touch!”.

But no.  I didn’t feel good about that.  As someone who loves to research things and find answers, I KNEW I could track this guy down somehow and give him a nice Christmas gift.

So after some further legwork, I found a reference to where he seemed to work.  I looked up that place (in Washington DC), called the organization and asked for him and was informed that he had left for the day.  I mentioned to his secretary that I may have found his iPod and that he could call me so we could arrange it getting back to him.

He called in about two minutes, and in fact while I was on the phone with him another of his colleagues called me to tell me that he was going to call.

Obviously he was REALLY excited to get this back.

He asked what I wanted to get it back to him: a reward, at least paying for my time and shipping charges, whatever.  The shipping charges were only $5 with a USPS Flat Rate Box so I asked if he could do me a favor instead, as he did sound like a pretty decent guy:

“As corny as it sounds, just pay it forward.  The next time you have a chance to do something for someone, please do and we’ll call it even.”

It felt right.  I wish during these crazy holidays when everyone is so stressed about the economy, finding the perfect gifts, dealing with crazy family and all that we could remember that we are all just trying to get by in this world, and that doing the smallest thing for someone else can have an effect far beyond your own effort.  And the more goodwill circling in the world, the better chance there is that some will come back to you.

And even if it doesn’t, it still feels good to do the right thing.

Some of you may know that my world has changed dramatically in the last few months.  I was told I needed to relocate to keep my awesome job of 14 years; instead I decided to rather prioritize some family issues and to try to have some adventures while I have the energy.  All of my younger friends tell me that 46 (which I am) is the new 30; I’m sure they were just saying that to make me feel better, but now I want to prove them right.  I have been fortunate to have many adventures (as seen in my banner photo) but have never really TRAVELED.  And I so want to travel before I run out of time.

But to do it I need your help, and the help of your friends.

Right after my job ended, I received a mass email to enter a contest to go on several adventure travel trips and blog about them.  Normally I would just delete such a thing, but I have read the catalogs of these travel companies for YEARS yet have never been on any of them, and now I have a chance to do them ALL?  And is the timing of this contest a coincidence, given my life situation and my goal of having some adventures?!?  I had to write a 400 word essay (shown in italics below), upload it to their website and get people to vote for me.

That’s where I need your help, and pretty much the help of everyone you know.

The winner is just the one with the most votes on January 1, 2011, and though I feel fortunate to have many friends in various walks of life, it will be the “friends of friends” that will decide whether I can win this.  What made me even bother is the popularity not of me (minimal) but the popularity of my friends (you all have TONS of friends!), because that’s what makes it possible for me to even have a chance.

So not only do I need your vote, but I need the vote of everyone you know.  If you can point others to this blog post through email, Facebook, Twitter or whatever your preferred communication method may be it would be greatly appreciated.

Any comments on the essay are appreciated as well; no matter how this goes I hope to improve my writing and so feedback from others would help in that.  Here is my essay as you will see it on the website; I hope that it resonates enough for you to take the time to click here to register and vote for me.  And to ask your friends to do the same.

Thank you,

Wayne

Travel Contest Essay – Wayne Turner – 10/1/2010

I’m 46 years old and haven’t been anywhere.

Now don’t start feeling sorry for me, as it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ve been to many cities in the United States, but my passport is bare. I’ve had incredible adventures, although few in exotic locales. I feel fortunate to have traveled this country, but yearn to enjoy cultures abroad. I love writing about my endeavors, and while I can often make my stories poignant or humorous, my past destinations are not necessarily ones that would spur others on to similar adventures. I’ve researched the numerous offerings of adventure travel companies like Backroads and OARS with the diligence of someone studying for a bar exam, though never been on one.

Yet.

You can help me change that, and perhaps share in the journey. Maybe my words and photos will make you laugh, make you cry, or even inspire you to seek out your own adventures. If so, perhaps this can affect more lives than just mine.

I’ve worked for 34 years straight (since I was 12) and my company of 14 years recently asked me to relocate. I could continue in a career I love while moving to a city with ideal weather year-round. It was a good offer, particularly in this difficult economy.

I didn’t take it because I haven’t been anywhere. Many say that it is never too late to have an adventure. I want to prove that to be true, to myself and to whoever may read along.

Many of my friends are in their 20s and 30s; they inspire me with their wanderlust. Now I want to go and do what I missed when I didn’t make travel a priority; I want to make up for lost time.

To do this I need your assistance; I need your vote. If I do get this chance, I hope you will read my blog about these adventures so you can be part of the journey that your support allowed me to embark upon. I’ll do my best to inform and entertain you, and if some of you are inspired to do something similar, then the experience would be exponentially more meaningful.

I’m 46 years old and going places. For the first time, really. Help me get there, and please come along for the ride.

Click here to register and vote for me.