Wednesday 29 January 2014

Just sharing because....

.....everybody has been so kind about everything else I've shared and I've spent a day simultaneously exhausted and nervy, and I have to let some of it out before I collapse into bed..

We had a new experience today, not of a pleasant kind. The house was broken into.

Yup, arrived home after work and opened the door to a feeling of "notrightnotrightnotright" - I don't leave drawers and closets open, I don't!

Somebody broke a window and made off with everything of value that they could find and easily carry - which didn't encompass everything of material/sentimental value to us, but was a good many things. Among them, most of my jewelry and my 2008 laptop (really, dumdum?)
 
He (I assume?) left all the musical instruments although he removed my euphonium from its soft carry case and took that (to haul away the other items?) And, weirdly, left the euphonium carefully placed upright on a table. Other areas of the house were a mess, drawers pulled apart, boxes empty, stuff thrown everywhere. The thought of my euphonium placed carefully amid the chaos still baffles me.

We're fine, the house is not damaged other than the window; the worst of it for me is the creepiness of feeling violated.

Can I find an IF angle?

Well, hell yeah.

How important are material things to me. Not very, I've discovered.

The only thing on the laptop whose loss I regret was digital photographs. Some are certainly gone for good; luckily I do have quite a few of my photos uploaded or saved elsewhere. And I was seriously considering deleting some of my Facebook albums. Yeah, good thing I didn't.

The jewelry, well that's sad. Most of it was gifts from people, especially Mr. Turtle. I'm not devastated though. After all, the jewelry was not Mr. Turtle, and he is still here (and glaring at the TV, very pissed off, I might add).

I have about 3 complete sets of earrings left, and a brooch my mom gave me at age 11 to commemorate a dance performance. It was in a back drawer.

Yeah, stuff.

Why am I not really cut up about this?

Well. In the past 3 years I've watched my stepmother in law deal with the death of her youngest son in a car accident. Have seen my sister in law lose her mother to cancer 2 months after her wedding. Have faced infertility.

I know my stepmother in law would have given all her jewelry and more if she could have saved her son. I know my sister in law would have done the same if she could have saved her mother. I know what I would give to have a child, if it was a matter of me giving.

None of that makes it OK that somebody violated our home and took our stuff. But, when you get in the habit of thinking about what really matters in life, well, it's not hard to apply that thinking to other situations.

The hardest part for me will be reclaiming the peace and safety of the house - this is where we come to feel safe from the world, not to do battle with its evils. I guess we just have to find that safety in each other.

12 comments:

  1. Oh that is just not good ( insert swear word of choice). Hugs.
    And it is the violation of the normally safe space is the hardest thing to get over, not the stuff.

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  2. Oh I am so sorry to read this. Both about the theft and the space violation. It seems like you have amazing perspective - I am impressed!

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    1. Trying my best. All we can control is our perspective, right? Although I'm also seeing "precious objects" (in so far as objects are precious) in a different light. Wanting fire safes and bank vaults and things like that. And definitely going to be backing up files from now on.

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  3. Ugh how awful. Praying for your peace of mind. I love your outlook on it and am glad that broach wasn't taken as well. Be on the look out at pawn shops some of your things may turn up there. Praying for you!

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    1. Thank you. The police officer said that mostly this stuff does not end up in pawn shops - because there are actually laws that restrict ability of pawn shops to sell stolen stuff. Most likely it is exchanged on the street for drugs or quick cash. Awesome, eh? If not for my own sake, I want to prevent theft cause I don't want to support drugs on the street, however unintentionally!

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  4. That just makes my blood boil. This is definitely a huge violation of one's personal space and it's not okay. But I admire your ability to see the other side of things. I am so sorry that this had happened.

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    1. Thanks. I know, it's infuriating. What pisses me off the most was my laptop - it was old, clunky and seriously I was just procrastinating replacing it. I can't see it having any street value! some of the things they took, yes, but not that. But because of that I'm going to have to try to consolidate digital photos from family, friends and my various sources, and some are gone forever - they simply weren't all backed up. All for a piece of technology with no market value.

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  5. I had my car broken into once, and while the worst of it was my $3 in toll money gone and a necklace broken, it still left me on-edge and feeling violated for days. I'm glad you're not too upset about the stuff, but I know how creepy it can feel so I hope you're doing okay in that way.

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    1. Ugh, it's true, being a crime victim does shake you up. I have been before, and it definitely alters how you see the world and people. This is the most serious crime I've had happen though. And the first that's involved my home. Thanks for the sympathy.

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  6. That's awful, I'm so sorry to hear! It's weird how something like this really sets your priorities out in front of you, though. I think I'd feel much the same. I can't think of anything inside my house that I fear losing as much as I fear never having a child.

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    1. So true! although I hate this experience and losing personal items and gifts, I can't ignore the fact that material possessions are simply not what is of most value to me.

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