An Envelope Left Behind and a Small Town Moment of Grace

"Today you get to feel special."

On a weekday morning in Laytonville, Calif., Lindsay Hansen was doing what she usually does: dropping her kids off at school and running a quick errand before heading to her job at the local high school, where she teaches culinary arts.

As she parked outside Geiger’s Long Valley Market, she noticed an envelope face down in a planter box beside her car.

It had writing all over it.

“I thought, ‘That seems a little sketchy,’” Hansen said later. She left the envelope alone and went inside to shop, ignoring the small tug of curiosity. When she came out, the envelope was still there.

She read the message: “Do not throw away. Read the front.”

Hansen flipped the envelope over. There were notes all over the front of it.

“It’s okay to do something special for yourself,” it said. “Get something that will make you happy. Today you get to feel special. Smile at a stranger.”

There was also a request to post on the Laytonville-Branscomb community Facebook page, so the author would know where the envelope had been found.

Inside was another small note — Good vibes — and a $20 bill.

For Ms. Hansen, a lifelong Laytonville resident and a mother of four, the moment landed with unexpected force. “You hear about things like this happening to other people,” she said. “I never imagined I’d be the one.”

She drove to the high school and showed the envelope to the staff in the front office. Word spread quickly. People smiled.

“It just made my day,” Hansen said. “It felt really good to see kindness in the world.”

Later, at home, she shared the story with her husband and children. The note had suggested doing something nice for herself, and she thought about what that might mean. Ice cream came to mind — not just any ice cream, but a trip with all four kids to Nat’s Retro Wagon, a food truck near Albert’s gift shop that serves scoops of Cowlicks ice cream alongside hot dogs and sandwiches. It’s the kind of small treat she usually talks herself out of: too busy, too much of an indulgence, another time.

But this time, she thought, maybe yes.

Hansen posted about the envelope on Facebook, as instructed. The response was immediate and warm. At least one more envelope had been found, by someone not even on social media.

Hansen said she doesn’t post often, and watching the comments roll in — messages of surprise, gratitude, and joy — felt a little surreal amid so much heaviness in the national news.

But maybe acts of kindness like this will catch on. And maybe more of us will start leaving envelopes for each other, tucked into planters or other unobtrusive places, containing messages of encouragement and care.