Homeless But Honest

Dave Tally is a 49-year-old recovering alcoholic from Tempe, Arizona, who is currently homeless. Dave Tally also recently found an abandoned backpack at a light-rail station that contained $3300 and a laptop computer. I think that many of us, if faced with his financial challenges, would likely succumb to the temptation to treat this like lucky lottery earnings that we could put to good use. Tally, however, instead turned the backpack into his boss, who was able to identify its owner, an Arizona State University student who was planning to use the cash to purchase a car. Afterward, Tally said, "It wasn't my money. I didn't earn it. I'm the one that has to lay down every day and deal with myself. If I'd done anything different than what I did, I don't know if I could handle that." Since the students mother called "The Arizona Republic" to report the good deed, Tally has apparently received a number of cash reward offers by those inspired by wishing to commend him for his honesty.  This blind Bambi also salutes Dave Tally.  God Bless him.  I hope that he earns much more from this response to his act of integrity than he would have from keeping the money he found as his own.  Even if he does not, however, his unselfish act is humbling.  I am not homeless, and hence cannot walk in his shoes, but I would hope that the personal pride he can take providing inspiration to the rest of us about the good in humanity and our society is priceless.