A tale of our times? I posted a huge note for the thief who stole my bike. Then my doorbell rang.

[FSogol]

My bike was stolen a week ago Saturday. It was half my fault, half my husband’s fault, and 100 percent the fault of the person who stole it. Left with a lock, a front wheel and a heavy heart, I did the only thing I could think of: I decided to leave the thief a little note.

Okay, it was a big note. Armed with yellow paint, I crafted an 8-by-3-foot cardboard sign and hung it across the entire front of my landlord’s Brooklyn brownstone (with his permission). It said:



“To the person who stole my bicycle
I hope you need it more than I do.
It was $200 used, and I need it to get to work. I can’t afford another one.
Next time, steal a hipster’s Peugeot.
Or not steal! PS: Bring it back.”

Here's what happened:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/03/16/i-posted-a-huge-note-for-the-thief-who-stole-my-bike-then-my-doorbell-rang/?utm_term=.31432a60c7a3

[Angry Dragon]

1. Nice story

[Glorfindel]

2. Great, heartwarming story

Thank you for posting it, FSogol.

[FSogol]

6. Anytime. As long as people are still doing nice things for strangers, this country isn't really

going down the drain, imo.

[Scarsdale]

3. Maybe this was a

blessing in disguise? Real feelings of people came through. The thief should have "bad karma" follow them. Many good deeds came from one bad deed.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. My advice to this person would be to learn how a bike lock works

you should be using it to lock the rear triangle, not the front wheel; if you have quick-release wheels, that's your bike gone (and even if you don't it takes like a couple of minutes with a hacksaw or angle grinder to cut the wheel).

[barbtries]

5. please read the entire story.

it won't take long. we need these reminders that humans are good. they're terrible, and they're wonderful. i'm in tears yet again.

[7962]

7. By far, MOST in this country are decent people. The shitty ones just get the press.

Amazing stories like this are not hard to find. And SO many charities get funded by other good people.
But people and media focus on the bad seeds; the crook, the racist, the abuser, etc. But THEY are the MINORITY. WE are the MAJORITY.

[uponit7771]

21. +1

[IronLionZion]

8. That's quite a story, and bike theft has gotten out of control

In my case, my bike was locked to a bike rack with a U-bolt and a thick cable through the front wheel and someone who wanted to earn bad karma still managed to steal it out of my apartment building's parking garage. It must have taken some skill from an experienced professional.

The karma cycle and good people who helped is great. I chose to stew in bitterness, which was less helpful.

In big cities it's probably not worth owning a bike these days when there are bike-share and ride-share services to get people to school/work with less risk.

[DFW]

9. One of my daughters lives in New York City

Sometimes people who don't live there (in some cases have never been) ask her how she could possibly want to live a place like that.

This is how and this is why.

[njcpa1978]

13. Grew up in NYC (Queens)

Grow up here and it is in your blood. The military talks about 'situation awareness'; New Yorkers have it from birth. The subway smells like people and give me a 'dirty water dog' with mustard and sauerkraut anytime. And yes, that is a garbage truck picking up a load at 2:00 in the morning.

[DFW]

15. Apparently, that blood can be acquired, or else it is passed down in DNA

My grandparents grew up in New York City, but my generation was mostly all born in the South. My daughter was born and grew up in a typical old 1000 year old small town in the German Rheinland, still considers it her home town. It is about as far away from New York culturally as it is geographically. She fell in love with NYC as a small girl, visiting briefly every year with her great-grandfather, who lived to be 102 (she was 13 when he died), and was supremely proud of his bi-lingual blonde German descendants (he fought in the trenches against the Germans in 1917 and 1918).

[calimary]

20. Welcome to DU, njcpa1978!

I spent a long hot steamy summer working there, getting set up in a new job before being transferred with it back to the West Coast. It's a whole different world.

[elleng]

10. THANKS, FS, and BROOKLYN,

now you've got me thinking of my first home, where I grew up!

[Happyhippychick]

11. I hate to be "that person" that criticizes this nice story but I will be

I think she was a real jerk for encouraging a thief to steal a bike from someone else. So really I think she got a lot of kindness that she didn't necessarily deserve.

[7962]

23. Yeah, you do have a point there. nt

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. What a great story!

Anne Frank said it best when in the last entry of her diary she said that she believed with all her heart that people were good.

[brush]

14. You have to have a long enough chain to loop around a pole and through the front and back wheel.

And of course a good lock.

Just doing the front wheel is and invitation to the thieves.

[Cha]

16. Wow.. I was crying and laughing

at the same time.. Mahalo for this, FSogol.. I needed it! Beautiful story of human kindess

[misanthrope]

17. Great story! Thanks for posting!

Nice to see some real humanity in action.

[DiverDave]

18. Great story,

I have one
Got hurt in Wintersvile Oh, got moved out of my truck (alot of stuff)
Got a rental that the company paid for.
They would pay for gas, I could use my fuel card.
First stop out of the gate, got fuel.
They wouldn't take my card, after about 45 minutes trying to get payment
to them, the manager got pissed.
I didn't have enough to cover it.
One of the customers paid it, didn't even meet them.

There is kindness everywhere. Just not where we can always see it.

[Demovictory9]

19. cool story

[Lee-Lee]

22. Most people are genuinely good

Even those on the right, as much as we disagree with them, are verbally good people who will more often than not stop and help people in need.