Story #17: A One-Time Windfall Locker

This 10x15’ locker looked almost empty, but it still hid treasures: folded handmade rugs, a few boxes, and scattered furniture. I decided to take a dive in with $50. Some pieces had to be discarded, but among the dust I uncovered two mid-century armchairs, a striking red Asian bookshelf, and a Native American rug with llamas.

As I worked through the musty boxes, more surprises appeared. Tucked in a corner were two captain’s chairs from a prestigious university—evidence that the former owner was well educated. But why would someone like that lose a locker?

The answer came when some old bank withdrawal receipts slipped out. Ten years earlier, a large bonus must have come in. The owner had gone on a spree: a Mercedes car, showroom furniture, Apple products, $100 Brooks Brothers ties (still with tags a decade later). He was clearly enjoying his windfall. But then, all of it—these tokens of sudden wealth—ended up in a storage locker and were forgotten.

It made me wonder how fleeting material possessions can be. The joy we get from them often fades as quickly as it comes. Friendships, however, endure. They demand investment—not of money, but of time—and in return, they yield a lifetime of value.

As an old Eastern European saying reminds us:“Better to have 100 friends than 100 rubles.”