The Good Cycle

Last Friday, I lost my wallet. I think it happened somewhere on the way between a place called Elgiganten—Sweden’s answer to Fry’s Electronics—where we had bought a new toaster, and IKEA, where we were going to buy lamps and stuff. I discovered it about an hour later, as I was about to pay for coffee and pastries at one of IKEA’s cafés.

I went back to where we bought the toaster to ask if they had found it there. Then I went to the neighboring stores, should someone had found it in the parking lot and left it at the nearest one. I walked the same way we had walked earlier, to see if I could find it myself. But I didn’t.

Several years ago, I read something by a Swedish columnist, where he told of how he had lost things (wallets, etc.) and how they had always found their way back to him—even when he lost his keys (I think) in a lake. He said that it was because he is part of “the Good Cycle”—as he always returns lost things he finds, his lost things will be returned to him.

The other week, I heard on the radio a reporter telling about how he had lost something valuable while visiting Japan, and had it returned. He said that Japan is known for this.

Although I have heard several stories about people (Swedes) who have gotten their lost things back, I didn’t expect to get my wallet back. We went back home and I began calling around to stop my bank cards, but as I was waiting to get through to the police to make a report, Svante instant messaged me about a woman that had called the office about a wallet she had found (she had gotten the number from one of my business cards).

So it seems I have made my way into the Good Cycle myself.