The past 28 hours have felt like living a nightmare. Within less than 36 hours of leaving for a perfect Christmas weekend with family in Socal, our house was flipped inside out by burglars. A tornado might as well have ripped through our rooms. And for what? Cash? Valuables? I don’t know.. and I pity those souls for being driven to the point of stealing from someone else. You can argue that they don’t deserve my pity, that that they’ve perfected thievery to the point of no remorse, but I still pity them for allowing themselves to be driven by materialistic gratifications.
Then again, aren’t we all guilty of the same crime to some degree? We are. It’s unfortunate that I had to see empty corners of our house to realize the neglected commodity that once filled the space. I can’t even fully figure out what’s gone because I can’t remember what was there to begin with. It’s sad, really.
So here’s the thing I want to say. Thank you to the thieves for lifting this growing burden I have been accumulating for the past 20 years. Thank you for cutting those ties to the materialistic needs that I was taught to believe were necessary for happiness. I mean, I would have rather donated ALL of my belongings to the less fortunate than have them in your dirty hands, but thank you for bringing me a step closer to reducing the clutter in my life.
You guys are such foolish scumbags for stealing my laptop. That 4 year old senior citizen of technology is on the verge of permanent retirement. Its only function was to hold MY memories that are only relevant to ME. What YOU will find is that its battery life will not last you more than 8 minutes without the charger. The loud fan will be an acquired hum. The space bar is jammed because I was cleaning it and broke the hook underneath. Oh yeah, I was pretty gross with my laptop and didn’t always have clean hands while using it. Almost everything will melt if you put it too close on the right side. If anything, that laptop is a safety hazard and you should be warned in advance to sell that ticking time-bomb. Rest in peace baby, I really loved you.
Yeah I was planning on using that laptop until after graduation. I mastered that old thing. What the thieves are probably realizing right now is that I own a lot of really, really old things. What I said up there about being driven by materialistic needs is really only a desire in most cases; a desire powerful enough to affect my mood. I don’t have a fancy MacBook, I didn’t get a cell phone until the end of senior year, I have to watch grandmas use their iPhones and iPads while I use my less-than-trustworthy brick phone, I don’t have a car… the list goes on. I’m half complaining and I’m half just stating how it is. Fact of the matter is that there is always someone in a better situation and someone in much worse. But why did this robbery have to happen to my family? Are you happy with what you’ve taken? Yeah my family is suffering, but we’ll be okay. As for you (the burglars), I doubt all the money in the world will satisfy your greed. My only suggestion for using that money is to find the antidote to rid yourselves of your darkest ills. Maybe buy yourself a heart.
As we went through the mess and tried to count our losses, I ended up counting our blessings. I realized that there are actually layers and layers of a “silver lining” through it all. First and foremost, I am thankful that none of my family members or friends were physically hurt. I am also thankful that we found out about this tragedy as a family and are helping each other get through it as a family. Secondly, through a night of texts and messages, I am thankful for all of the support that came from all sorts of unexpected ways. I am truly thankful for all of the warm wishes and offers to help.. All of your thoughts collectively held the most curious ability to evaporate my anger and speed the healing. <3 For that, I am eternally grateful. Next, I have to thank Amanda and Peter for keeping me calm through the first 8 hours. Amanda, you already know how thankful I am for what you have done for me and my family; Peter, thanks for keeping me from making any stupid and rash decisions. And lastly, I am thankful to be typing this post while sleeping in the same room as my parents and my little doggie. Nothing beats the warmth I’m feeling right now.
