Thursday, April 18, 2013

The things that were not lost

This week my house was broken into.  Our door was kicked down while we weren't home, and my roommate's electronics (computer, TV etc) were stolen, as was my jewelry box which held my important documents and all my jewelry.
You learn what you truly need when you loose stuff.
It really sucks.  As much as I clean my house, it still feels violated.  I can't get the image of my drawers hanging open and things in disarray out of my mind.  But like all the other sucky things I've experienced, including recently getting my tire slashed, I find in the days that followed that there are several good things.  And I always focus on the positive things, the things that were not lost.  Plus the things I've gained.  Here are six of them:

1.  The very first things I checked to see if they were still safe in my closet were my hammock and sleeping bags.  In that moment, I learned what possessions have the most value to me.

2.  My passport was gone. But I realized that no one can take away the memories I have of seeing wild orchids in Ecuador, visiting Guatemala and Nicaragua with my folks, wading through stromatolite-filled lakes in the Bahamas, collecting aphids for my thesis research at the white horse of Uffington, or any of the other adventures I'm had in foreign lands.

3.  Of all the family jewelry that I lost, I cried the hardest about loosing my great-grandmother's ring.  I treasured the elegant antique design that to me symbolized her grace and beauty.  I always felt incredibly loved by her when I was growing up.  I try to tell myself that the memories of those who gave me these things lie in my heart, not in the things themselves. 

4.  I never understood why I still kept my wedding ring even though we split up in 2005.  Now I don't have to figure out what to do with it, and maybe someone else will enjoy wearing it.  Sometimes, not having some things makes you feel more free.

5.  Ironically, I found out about the robbery when I was coming home from self defense class.  The next evening in class, my punches and yells were more raw with emotion.  But I felt lucky to be in the class doing something that makes me feel more safe and prepared, surrounded by powerful women.

6.  Going to trapeze class never fails to make me feel better.  My trapeze classmates and teachers are like a family.  I am grateful to have them in my life.
Hugs in the air.  Photo by April, taken in class this week.

5 comments:

  1. Oh man!! This is horrible! What a weird thing too, one of my friends who lives in England had her house broken into this weekend as well, her car stolen too!

    Ugh, I can empathize with the feelings of someone going through your belongings, when we lived in Miami I left our back sliding window to our porch unlocked one night and someone came in while we were sleeping, took my purse which had my keys in it, took the spare as well. Luckily nothing else was taken. I went through the hassle of changing bank accounts, reporting to credit bureaus etc, got my truck key changed. What was insane was exactly one week later I went to get in my truck to go to work and noticed the truck was unlocked. I got into the seat and saw the keys that had been stolen in the ignition! They came back for it but the keys were changed already...that was surreal!

    About six months later security at a local apartment complex found part of the items along with my purse tossed in the bushes. It was nice to have a few of those things back.

    Being robbed is a nightmare, I hope they can recover some of the items you cared about most!

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  2. So sorry to hear you were robbed. I hate that feeling. Thanks for sharing the downs and the ups of those things that are important.

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  3. Misti- That would be so terrible to have your car stolen though. Hear all these stories from other people makes me feel like we got off pretty lucky, relatively speaking.

    That's so scary that they came into your house while you were there!!! Totally surreal story-- wow! Glad you got some of it back.

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  4. Leanna- I debated whether to write about this experience or not. I didn't know if it was too personal, or not related enough to backpacking. But I'm now glad I did. It helps to hear that other people have gone through these feelings too.

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  5. When you told me about this, the first thing I thought of was your new DIY quilt and your Warbonnet. I am so glad they are safe! But more importantly, I am glad you are safe.

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