Angry, Violated or Meh?
So, the question – would you feel Angry, Violated or Meh? Ok – you may need some context to answer the question, so let’s go back. Let’s go back.
Monday evening – I leave the office late on a cold, sub-zero January evening with the intent of healthy eating in mind – grilled salmon and asparagus. I pull into the driveway – leaving room in front of the car to pull the gas grill out. I click the lighter and no flame – too cold? Out of butane? My grilled salmon is out the window. I angrily pull the grill back into the garage – right in the middle! Not in its dedicated spot along a very cluttered wall – something that would take a full minute to complete! I frustratedly close the garage door and go into the kitchen to whip up a quick breakfast-for-dinner dinner (asparagus and avocado scramble – not too back for me, right?…not mentioning the heaping handful of cheese…).
Tuesday morning – 5:15AM – my son is shouting at me, waking me from a deep sleep – “Dad, dad…our cars were broken into overnight. They rummaged through the glove boxes…papers are strewn all over…”
Which takes us to the original question – if your car was broken into, would you feel Angry, Violated or Meh?
My response – I pulled the covers up and went back to a peaceful sleep. So, I guess my answer is Meh. Meh with a backhanded reminder of “The 2 Minute Rule.”
For as long as I can remember – Christmas, 3 years old – I have never had an attachment to “things.” I was a continual challenge for my mom at birthdays and Christmas since I never wanted anything. My brothers and sister would have a long Christmas list. The running joke in my family as, “Gloves, goggles, and Sports Illustrated” – although I really didn’t need more gloves or swim goggles and I didn’t read Sports Illustrated but my mom wanted a Christmas list.
My feeling about cars is very similar – and is quite different from many people around me. I have always seen a car as a “tool” – something to get me around and transport things. I don’t car how it looks or what type it is – just so it is reliable. My feeling about the car and the stuff in it – if they have the moxy to break into it, they need the stuff more than me!
The car was rifled through. The glove compartments were emptied and the things in the backseat were tossed around. I don’t think they took anything; however, I am uncomfortable re: identity theft concerns. I am not sure if any of the documents – vehicle registration, insurance cards, maintenance receipts contain anything sensitive???
While my intent was to grill – let the grill cool – restow the grill and pull the car into the garage, I left the car unlocked. My fault – both in being too lazy to pull the car in and in not locking my car. The scary thought that lingers is the garage door opener on my car visor. If the brazen thiefs wanted to, they easily could have entered the garage and possibly the house through the service door.
So, what is the moral of the story for me?
1. I like that I am not tied to material things. It is freeing.
2. The “2 Minute Rule” is wise advice. If something can be done in 2 minutes – do it now! If I had taken the 2 minutes to put the grill away, and pulled my car into the garage, I would have avoided getting my car broken into, eliminated the possibility of them entering the garage by using the garage door opener, and eliminated the need to scrape my frosted car windows in the morning!
So the questions for you -- if your car was broken into, would you feel Angry, Violated or Meh?