Ladies, watch your purses!
Mine was stolen when I casually placed it on the chair next to me while having lunch at a local Corner Bakery. It happened in a flash. No one noticed until it was too late.
In the aftermath there were hours of unpleasant inconvenience. I screamed, cried, cursed, blamed and howled to the heavens, “Why me?”
But when all was said and done I came to a place of calm. I assessed what needed to be done, put one foot in front of the other and just did it. I made a police report. I called the bank and cancelled credit cards. The next day I went to the DMV, Social Security and RTA offices. It was irksome but I did not wallow in what could have, should have and just faced the reality. I did not give in to a ‘poor me’ mentality. I refused to give my power to the thief along with all my “stuff.”
Now, a week later, most the details have been taken care of: I’ve frozen my credit, gotten a new phone and although I did have a bit of PTSD when passing the restaurant, I feel more empowered than victimized. It happened, I released the emotions, I dealt with the details and it’s over. Having the backpack swiped was an unpleasant occurrence, but I can’t change history and I won’t let the event change my outlook on life.
Sometimes life is not fair. It throws us a curve ball when we do not expect it or deserve it. But there are lessons to be learned from encountering misfortune. After having my back pack swiped I learned to be more aware of protecting my personal belongings; and more importantly I absorbed a good slice of self-awareness as well.
I can handle and cope with challenges as they happen by staying in the moment, recognizing what I can do and accepting the reality of what is out my control.
It’s okay to have and fully acknowledge feelings of frustration and anger. That’s how to get through them rather than being overwhelmed by them.
When stuff happens I can detach from the events rather than be defined by them, otherwise I cede my power to a hapless victim’s mindset.
I can put things in perspective with a sense of gratitude – the house wasn’t burned down and I wasn’t harmed. It was an inconvenience, not a tragedy.
