No matter how much we think otherwise, good people outnumber bad. Not just in big ways, like the heroes who risk their lives to defend us, but in the smallest acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. Let me share one small example this week involving my toboggan.

But before I share, I should probably clarify. When I said toboggan, many of you thought of this:

What I’m referring to is in the photograph, but it’s not the sled. If you look up the word “toboggan” in your trusty Merriam-Webster, the third definition reads “Chiefly Southern US and Midland US : Stocking Cap.”

We headed out for our morning walk with the dogs on the greenway snaking through our neighborhood. Because of the chill in the air, I had my toboggan snug on my head. A hat, not a sled.

I can’t tell you what happened. I have no idea. But I realized my toboggan—hat—was no longer on my head. We backtracked and searched, but no luck. Not a big deal, right, it’s only a cheap hat, so we stopped searching. If it had been an expensive sled, maybe we wouldn’t have stopped.

Fast forward to the afternoon and the second long walk of the day with my ridiculously spoiled herd of dogs. We walk down the street to the nearest entrance to the greenway. Mounted on the top of the sign post—my toboggan.

Now this seems like nothing. Someone found the hat and put it on the post to await its rightful owner. Dozens of people passed it sitting on the post and didn’t take it, deciding it should wait to be properly claimed. Many people doing such a simple, and yet such a good thing.

Just a cheap hat, right? What’s the big deal?

That same day, I saw a social media post. A woman found an envelope in the parking lot of a local grocery store. Inside was a stack of recently purchased lottery tickets. Her post was an effort to find the rightful owner. No one, except her, would’ve known she kept them.

And the comments on her story? All helpful suggestions for how to find the owner. Or thanks for being honest.

Good people doing good things simply out of kindness. We can all get behind that.

Now if only we could agree that toboggans are worn on the head and sleds are used to go downhill in snow.

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Books I’m Reading

A decade after Emily Carlino disappeared, David Thorne still grieves the loss of the love of his life. Desperate for any answers, he pretends to be conducting research for a book and visits her presumed murderer, convicted serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup, in prison. When David meets Maddisson Sutton in a chance encounter at a restaurant, he’s reminded of how much he’s lost. In fact, Maddisson reminds him of Emily in every way, right down to the way she kisses. How could that be, unless something is hidden in her mysterious pass. David’s obsession with her grows…as does the terror in this book.

Amazon affiliate links result in a small commission to me, though they have no impact on your pricing.

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Interesting Links

I shared on my Facebook Page over the weekend a link to a video about research into Great White sharks off the coast of the Carolinas. The big sharks cover huge territories—thousands of miles—and scientists are curious about some of them migrating annually to our waters in the winter. The theory is for mating, but an oceanic expedition is happening right now to learn more. You can follow videos on Ocearch’s You Tube page about this project and others.

By the way, did you know Ocearch also has an online tool to track shark movement? Always fun in our couple of years in Murrells Inlet to look at the app and figure out who was swimming off shore. Check it out here (and notice that winter cluster off the Carolina coast that’s being researched).

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Gratuitous Dog Picture

Walking a Herd of Siberian Huskies twice a day may sound exciting, but the view never really changes. From left to right, Landon, Frankie, Typhoon, and Roscoe create a tight formation marching down the greenway trail.

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Background title image courtesy Youssef Naddam. The toboggan / sled image courtesy Bellava G. The toboggan / hat image courtesy Chad Madden.