One day, while working at a fast food restaurant, I noticed a lady had left her Louis Vuitton bag on a table. After waiting 20 minutes and realizing she wasn’t coming back, I decided to take the bag to the lost and found. I didn’t look inside, just placed it there and went back to work.

A month passed, and the bag was still unclaimed. My manager casually asked, “Hey, it’s been a month…do you want that bag?” I thought about it and said yes, so I went to the back to retrieve it. I finally decided to open it and was surprised to find it empty, except for a single piece of paper.

The paper was a receipt with a handwritten message: “To the girl who needed a new purse during the holidays.” I looked closer at the receipt and saw that the bag had cost $1,700! It seemed that whoever the lady was, she had intended to leave this bag for someone who needed it more—a random act of kindness planned all along.

I carefully packed my belongings into the bag and took it home, keeping the discovery to myself. That purse became more than just a fashionable accessory; it helped me look more put-together in job interviews and made me feel a bit more confident.

I still have the bag today. It’s a cherished reminder of those humble days when I didn’t have much. More importantly, it inspires me to pay that kindness forward and give back to others whenever I can.