A little heart warming story to restore your faith in human nature

Hi there, just a little story from this evening that will warm your hearts. I got into a conversation with my director and realized that I didn't have time for a full meal before the show today - so I dashed to the local supermarket to buy a snack. I nipped into the Tesco Metro on the Strand and whilst paying for my yoghurt and cake, I dropped my iPod. Yup, stupid me, never ever keep your iPod in the same pocket as your wallet because that is the kind of stupid accident that you will have when you take your wallet out to pay for something. Never ever put something like your iPod in the same pocket as your wallet - it's an accident waiting to happen.

Anyway, it was about 15 minutes later when I realized that I had dropped my iPod - so I ran back to the Tesco supermarket with my fellow actor Ken (how sweet of him, he was offering moral support). I thought, there's no way - a busy supermarket and an iPod on the floor? What are the chances of it still being there? I got there and asked the security guard if anyone has picked up an iPod. He replied, "Aha, it's you. Go to that cashier over there." He then shouted to the cashier, "Yeah, it's this young man who's looking for his iPod."

Tesco - a major British supermarket chain.

So I walked over to the cashier and the cashier said, "I believe you're looking for this young man?" He held out my iPod. I couldn't believe it and Ken said, "See? They have it! I told you it was worth coming back to check!" The cashier than said to me, "People drop all kinds of things in the supermarket you know - we always pick it up and keep it for them because we know they will come running back for it later. If you drop something in this store, it will never go missing."

I kept saying thank you over and over again to both the cashier and the security guard - I was impressed by their honesty and integrity. How often would someone pick up something like that and then return it, rather than pocket it? (And yes, I emailed Tesco customer services to thank them and asked that the manager of that branch be informed of this good deed.) As we got back and got ready for the show, I couldn't wait to share my story with my fellow actors. And then one by one, I was told equally awesome stories about honesty. Here are just four of them.

You know that feeling when you've realized you've dropped something important?

"This happened whilst I was in Portugal - I was travelling to another town when I boarded the bus without one of my bags, which I had stupidly left at the bus stop. It was nearly an hour when I realized I had forgotten that bag. Can you imagine how I felt? Anyway, by the time I got back to that bus stop where I had left that bag, the bag wasn't there. Then I heard this woman at a shop nearby shout to me. Apparently she had saw me board the bus without my bag and she had ran out of her shop, grabbed my bag and chased the bus for over a hundred metres trying to get the bus driver's attention! When it was clear she couldn't catch up with the bus, she brought my bag back to her shop and had been waiting for me to return. I had some rather expensive gifts in the bag and they were all intact - that woman is an angel."

"I was coming back from Brighton on a train with my girlfriend when we got off in a hurry, it was only after we had left the station when I realized that I had left my camera on the train. I ran back to the station in a panic and spoke to the guy at the ticket booth and he told me not to panic. They would radio the train and see if anyone has found my camera. Incredibly, someone had found my camera and handed it to the ticket inspector. The ticket inspector then radioed the station and within an hour, I was reunited with my camera. Amazing!"

There are incredible tales of honesty on trains.

"I was on the Central Line going to work one morning when I dropped my wallet on the train. I had realized it the moment I got to the ticket barrier and realized that my wallet was missing. I then had to explain why I didn't have a ticket or had a valid Oyster Card with me and I gave a full description of my wallet and all its contents to the man at the station. He told me not to panic and he'll put a call out to see if anyone has handed in my wallet. I thought no way, I had either been pickpocketed or even if I had just dropped it, no one is going to hand it in, they'll just pocket it. About an hour later, I received a phone call on my mobile and was told that wallet was handed in by a member of the public and it was on its way to that station nearest my office and I could pick it up shortly. I didn't even get to thank the person who picked up my wallet and handed it in to the station staff. There are some great people in this city."

"When I go to the gym, I would take off my watch and stuff it into one of my pockets of my trousers or jacket when I am getting changed into my gym kit. There was this occasion when I must've dropped it whilst I got changed - sometimes I just don't bother putting my watch back on after gym. It was only after I got home that I realized my watch was gone. I was really upset as that watch was a gift from my sister. I called the gym at once and I was told that a cleaner had picked it up and handed it into the front desk and I could pick it up the next time I was at the gym. It was a rather expensive watch too - I found that cleaner and thanked per personally."

Here's a big thank you to all honest people with integrity out there. Have you ever picked up something and return it to the owner? Have you ever benefited from someone's incredible honesty and integrity? Leave a comment and share your happy stories, let's spread the love and goodwill :) Cheers everyone!