Stolen!

Do you know that feeling you get when you just realized that something has just been stolen from you?  I call it the "sinking" feeling in your stomache.  For me it feels almost like I'm free-falling and my stomache doesn't know what to do.

I'll never forget one time when we thought our van was stolen.  We had parked at the mall and gone instide a department store - a big one like Macy's or Sear's.  We had walked around the store a bit, maybe even gone to more than one store in the mall.  Anyway, we went out of the mall and couldn't find our van.  We were looking around the lot trying to make sure we were in the right spot.  I asked my wife if we had perhaps gone out of a different door than we'd entered.  That was it!  We finally caught on to where we parked and found the van exactly where we'd left it.  It sure made my stomache feel better.

I wish the same were true for my wife's bicycle this week.  We had just purchased a NEW bike for her a week ago.  She was always using one of our bikes (mine or our oldest son's) for short rides.  We had always planned to get her a bike but put it off.  She was pretty happy to have her own.  A girls bike, even!

The morning after she got it we took a short ride together and stopped for coffee.  She loooooooved it.  (or maybe it was just being with me?? - not likely :)

Anyway... she had a quick appointment for her neck at the chiropractor, so she decided to take her bike.  I gave her my lock to take with her and we both went about our day.  Almost an hour later I answer a call from her. 

"Can you pick me up?"

"What?"

"Can you pick me up.  My bike was stolen."

"You're kidding me.  Really?  What happened?"

"Look, I really don't want to explain it over the phone.  Can you come and get me?"

The chiropracor's office was in a shopping area that got plenty of foot traffic.  She had locked the bike up to a bike rack.  Yet someone had the nerve to cut the lock and take off with it.  Stolen after having the bike for one week.  ARGHH!!!

The good news is that it is covered by insurance.  The bad news is that people can really be jerks.  I don't know about you, but it really can make a guy angry.  I really try not to let myself get too wrapped up into material things.  I'd much rather deal with this hastle than physical harm or something that cannot be replaced.  I guess we live in a fallen world, yes?  I can still hardly believe it.  Stolen!