Today, at the gym, there was an old Finnish man searching for something. Although I don’t know him personally, he’s a regular at the place - the sort to greet everyone with a smile and offer people advice. What chatter I recall overhearing before, he’s a former competitive weightlifter.
He was missing his bag which he tends to keep with him, instead of in the locker. Me and one of his gym acquaintances soon helped look around, but found nothing. After repeated searching back and forth, forth and back, he was convinced someone must’ve stolen the bag while he moved between machines. It was painfully visible in the man’s eyes that his day had just been utterly, thoroughly, ruined. No wonder, given he had his phone, wallet, keys etc. in that bag.
Before I could propose one more thing, he had borrowed his acquaintance’s phone and called to the bank to cancel his credit cards. Wish I’d spoken sooner, but I thought he was about to do what I was going to suggest next.
Calling his phone.
Which I then suggested. The three of us spread around the gym to search again, due to the background music, and the huffs and puffs of other gym-goers.
The ringtone eventually led the old man to his beloved treasure; he’d forgotten his bag hanging on the side of one of the machines. The machine and the bag being similar color, it was easy to miss, especially if your eyes primarily scan the floor spots.
While he may have to wait for new credit cards now, it’s little compared to replacing everything he had in the bag. It wouldn’t have been the first time unattended items get stolen at the gym, from expensive shoes to mere hangers in the locker rooms.
It made my day that the greybeard’s day wasn’t ruined after all, and we could all leave with a relieved smile. Would’ve struggled to forget that distressed look in his eyes, and thus would’ve felt sorry for the guy every time I saw him at the gym again.
It’s not much what I did, really not, but sometimes not much can help someone else a lot.