Recently, I was burgled. I was saying "robbed" until someone corrected me. I guess saying you were robbed sounds like being mugged, which I was not. I wasn't there. I wasn't present.
My holiday shopping and personal effects were locked in the trunk of my friend's car... in what I thought was a secure parking garage.
They took a lot of stuff, including my keys and my coat... my passport and some expensive stuff I can't afford to replace.
I've had much worse happen to me, so I'm surprised how upset this all makes me. Yes, it's a violation, but then again, it's just stuff. I don't have a rational reason to obsess about it over a week later.
The truth is that, yes, I'm upset that they stole some Christmas presents, yes I'm upset that they violated me. Yes, I'm upset that the aftermath just keeps growing... but I realized I'm mostly upset that I can' t go back in time and catch them. Literally. I'm obsessed with finding some way to get them. I can't let it go, even though that's obviously my only option. The awful truth is that I am obsessed with what happened and whodunit. It's not even about the things as much as the perpetrator. I fantasize about finding them list one of my items on craigslist and then showing up with the police. I'm suspicious the security guards may have done it.
The silver lining... It reminds me not to get attached to things. We are born with no material possessions and we can't take it with us. This is something I need to work on remembering. Western culture is a game. Most of us are so caught up in the game that we forget that it really doesn't matter who the winners are. In the end, the things that matter are not at all tied to the stuff we do or do not accumulate. I feel like I need to be reminded of this often. I don't deserve to be burgled or robbed, but I do know that maybe being tested and responding without hatred or anger is what passing that test looks like.
I'd be lying if I said I was over it... but the truth, if I'm honest, is that I want to be over it. I want to not care about material possessions and this is a good reminder of what happens if I forget that. There's no good reason why losing a bunch of stuff should take away my holiday spirit. If the Grinch thought he could steal Christmas and a bunch of cartoon characters could get over it... I don't see why I can't do the same.
So, I hope I remember the truth... As long as I work towards being a better person and surround myself with love that I reciprocate, the gifts that matter the most can't ever be stolen.
My holiday shopping and personal effects were locked in the trunk of my friend's car... in what I thought was a secure parking garage.
They took a lot of stuff, including my keys and my coat... my passport and some expensive stuff I can't afford to replace.
I've had much worse happen to me, so I'm surprised how upset this all makes me. Yes, it's a violation, but then again, it's just stuff. I don't have a rational reason to obsess about it over a week later.
The truth is that, yes, I'm upset that they stole some Christmas presents, yes I'm upset that they violated me. Yes, I'm upset that the aftermath just keeps growing... but I realized I'm mostly upset that I can' t go back in time and catch them. Literally. I'm obsessed with finding some way to get them. I can't let it go, even though that's obviously my only option. The awful truth is that I am obsessed with what happened and whodunit. It's not even about the things as much as the perpetrator. I fantasize about finding them list one of my items on craigslist and then showing up with the police. I'm suspicious the security guards may have done it.
The silver lining... It reminds me not to get attached to things. We are born with no material possessions and we can't take it with us. This is something I need to work on remembering. Western culture is a game. Most of us are so caught up in the game that we forget that it really doesn't matter who the winners are. In the end, the things that matter are not at all tied to the stuff we do or do not accumulate. I feel like I need to be reminded of this often. I don't deserve to be burgled or robbed, but I do know that maybe being tested and responding without hatred or anger is what passing that test looks like.
I'd be lying if I said I was over it... but the truth, if I'm honest, is that I want to be over it. I want to not care about material possessions and this is a good reminder of what happens if I forget that. There's no good reason why losing a bunch of stuff should take away my holiday spirit. If the Grinch thought he could steal Christmas and a bunch of cartoon characters could get over it... I don't see why I can't do the same.
So, I hope I remember the truth... As long as I work towards being a better person and surround myself with love that I reciprocate, the gifts that matter the most can't ever be stolen.
