I found this on the day of my graduation; 16th of May. I’d recently been going through a rough time. My girlfriend had split from me in early April, I quit my job of over 3 years as an English tutor not even a week after that, in order to start a more lucrative, but physically demanding one as a cleaner, and a week prior to finding the quilted heart, my sister had headed overseas to work for 6 months. So a lot of change in a very short period of time, and a lot of emptiness in my heart. I was still getting over a resurgence of breakup feels which I had worried would start interfering with my new job, and therefore I was trying to find a high point in the day of my graduation, and solace in celebrating my achievement with my family. My half-sister and nephew had flown down specially to be there early in the morning, and we decided to go for a walk just prior to me trying on my graduation gear for the first time. It was during this walk, as I caught up and talked with my nephew (it had been almost 2 years since we’d last seen each other) that we found this quilted heart. It had been raining the prior night, so it was damp, having been placed on a bench presumably overnight, and I thought someone had lost it. However it was once I saw the tag that my nephew and I followed the website address, and discovered this cute little movement. We returned home with the heart, found this website, and then I put on my graduation gear for the first time, before heading into Wellington. Felt I had to share this story, given the day it took place on, and the time in my life it’s taken place in. A high point in a world that is rapidly changing around me. Many thanks to whoever made the heart; it’s quite beautiful. I’ll keep it as a reminder of good things, and small acts of kindness that keep us all going when things get tough.
