It's a Wonderful Life

My unflagging optimism has been taking a hit.

December 23^rd – 6:00PM I discover my bag has been stolen out of my gym locker only to further discover my car has been stolen. They have everything – I report all this to the police, wait patiently for all of the information to be processed – call my bank and credit card companies – spend the night at a friend’s house since my car keys and personal information is all with "them" – it’s too late to call the locksmith – that can wait until Christmas Eve – I feel violated – my personal space and security has been compromised.  Because it is the holiday all the banks are closed – I have no access to my bank account or credit cards – my bank FedExed a new card to me but it won’t arrive until Saturday. I have no make-up – all of that was in my gym bag so I discover that my Nordstrom card was not touched - I don’t keep it in my wallet. I go to the Bobby Brown counter Christmas Eve morning and explain my dilemma, “Make me up and I’ll buy everything you put on me.” It had to have made that sales girl’s day. That was a bright spot – who actually gets to begin with all new make-up? Don’t we all accumulate that stuff over time, filled in with the extra bonus samples we’re given when we buy at certain times?

Around 3:00AM Christmas Eve morning I receive a call – waking up from a dead sleep in a strange bedroom the voice of a police officer informs me that my car has been recovered and they are sending out a officer to pick me up to identify items left in the car. Two XXL shirts, a book and a container of party mix I made are the only things left in the car. I tell the officers that the two shirts are not mine but the rest is. The interior reeks of cigarettes. The funny thing about the book is that they took it out of my backpack and put it in the backseat but took everything else. I guess reading isn’t their thing.

My neighbor Craig comes over to give me some cash, explaining that no woman should be without money. My other neighbor Ken, unbeknownst to Craig does the same thing. My children all call, my friends, acquaintances from my health club – they all take time to contact me to make sure I’m okay.

On top of all this I get the stomach flu Christmas night and Monday morning woke-up with a cold.

It is frustrating, hurtful and violating to have someone take things from you and wears on you when you’re not feeling well. But what I discovered in this difficultness is that I am living a “Wonderful Life.”  Just like George Bailey felt that his world was crashing down around him (admittedly things weren’t that bad for me) friends and family and strangers extended themselves to help. That’s a pretty good feeling. It also brought home in a real way that I am lucky to have the safety nets I have and how devastating this sort of thing can be to those who live on the margins.

So this is how my year is ending and how a tumultuous decade is coming to an end. Things can only look up and they have started to do just that. I am a happy, confident woman who is much better off than she was at the beginning of the decade. I am looking with joy and hopefulness to the future. It is indeed a wonderful life.