My Christmas came early!

by John Greenwood, December 2008

Christmas, if we observe the real meaning of it, is a time for great rejoicing. Celebration of the birth of a man who has had, arguably, more impact on the world than any other person.

Well, my Christmas rejoicing came early this year. How come? Well it is like this:
As we left Austria on our way to Sweden for part of our Big OE, we travelled by train from the Oetz Valley to Munich where we transferred to a train to the Munich airport. It was here disaster struck. As we alighted from our train to catch the one to the airport, I inadvertently left my daypack on the train from Austria and realised it just as it departed. Panic stations, eh! However I could not get anyone on the station to speak enough English to sort it out. We had to leave on the next train to the airport as we had a flight to catch to Stockholm.

Disaster – my daypack contained my Olympus 330 SLR camera and a macro lens plus other gear we needed for our ongoing trip.

From our hotel in Stockholm we emailed German Rail and our insurance company, but had to accept that we would have to go without that gear – especially the camera. We covered that as Janet handed back another SLR digital we had just purchased before we left and I was able to use that. So we got by in the meantime.

On arrival home we found a letter from Germany, written in German. A German friend came and translated it and told me they had found my daypack. But if I did not claim it within three weeks it would be disposed of. Panic again – that was over eight weeks since I’d lost it. However, an email address on the letter allowed me to follow up and we eventually found it was in Düsseldorf, German Rail’s central lost property centre. They in turn emailed me to say it was there and that all the gear I had listed was in the pack. They also told me it would cost 100 Euro by bank transfer to get it sent to me. So off to the bank and it was arranged – $257.00 to get 100 Euro sent to Germany.

Then the long wait. Eventually as we followed the track and trace on the internet, the package appeared in Auckland and in due course was delivered here. Surprise and thankfulness, not a single item from the pack was missing. This really gave my faith in human nature a much-needed boost. Another friend said two things to me that underlined this issue. He noted the “German attention to detail and good workmanship”. He then went on to note that there were “far more honest people in the world than dishonest”.

Yes the return of this equipment was a Christmas present in advance.

I would like to recommend to all you readers of this missive, to think of that as we approach the Christmas season. How about that wonderful suggestion that surfaced about twelve months or more ago: “Dispense random acts of kindness”. How? Well it may be as simple as letting another motorist into the queue as you travel home tonight. But what about thinking of the people around you as Christmas looms, who may be lonely or unable to care for themselves. They could just be disadvantaged. What about a friendly word, or better still, invite them to share your Christmas dinner. Or go and mow their lawns for them. The options
are endless.

Why not make this Christmas one that others will remember you for.
Happy Christmas and have a great break.