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A heartwarming tale of uplifting stuff

There are many dreadful things in the world, and Lord knows I don't need to enumerate them here. So I thought it worth sharing a brief story of something cheerier, it may seem inconsequential, in point of fact it is, but it gave me a lift which lasted all week.

I was off out running, as is my wont, and my phone was in my pocket. I should point out at this juncture that it was in there functioning as a stopwatch, I wouldn't wish to give you the impression that I'm the sort who can't bear to be parted from their phone. I can. I actively enjoy it. But that's by the by, off I went, pounding the pavements, up hill and down dale etc,my phone faithfully ticking the minutes by nestled snugly in my pocket. Until it wasn't.

And lo there was swearing and a gnashing of teeth, for whilst I am not inordinately fond of my phone, sadly it's a necessary evil, if only as a stopwatch. So I turned and started the long run back. It's nicely symbolic that when I discovered its disappearance I was at the bottom of a descent, so my phone finding mission started with a long and gruelling ascent, featuring further swearing. As I ran I inwardly cursed my stupidity. I wasn't worried about it being nicked. It is by no standards an impressive phone, it is able to send and receive phone calls and texts, which is pretty much all I require of it, apart from keeping time. Nicked, probably not, lost, almost certainly, it was a long run, it could have been anywhere.

Just as I neared the end, peering at the ground like a mumbling lunatic, I became dimly aware tthat I was being yelled at. I turned and a smallish scally lad in standard uniform of trackies, hoody and BMX came bombing up to me. He enquired as to whether or not I'd lost my phone, I replied I had. To my general astonishment he then handed it over. So far so mildly surprising, were I, for example, to find a lost phone I'd probably just put it in a prominent position, maybe hand it to a nearby copper or in at a shop counter, dependent on where I'd found it. This lad, however, had not only been riding around looking for me, he'd gone to the trouble send texts to various people in my contacts list, asking them to ring the phone so he could work out where to give it. As an example of someone actually giving a monkeys it was peerless. I was astonished, relieved, and grateful, but he'd ridden off before I had a chance to gather my thoughts and thank him properly. It was a like a mugging in reverse. So thanks, Matthew (he went to the length of introducing himself in said texts). Thanks a lot, that one selfless act lifted my whole week.

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