A REAL STEAL

When my home’s front door got kicked in last week, I was upset. My wife was furious. Talk about real. There’s likely nothing more real than somebody coming in your house without an invitation, especially when you’re not home. Surprisingly I’ve spoken to probably three friends minimum who all have experienced burglary. Apparently there’s nothing novel about stealing and that’s probably why a commandment is devoted to it. Nevertheless, whoever the interloper was, he got his snatch and grab on and then jettisoned before his 90-second timed episode turned into a confrontation with the sheriff. I was notified by my wife asking, “Are you at home because ADT said our front door is open.” I paused after call trying to decide if I should head home. Somehow in my mind I thought it was all good – that maybe it was just a fallen picture that had set off the alarm. But to think that would be to change the truth. Norman, are you stupid, hard of hearing or both? Your wife said, “ADT said our front door is open.” Bro that means you’ve been trespassed upon.

That internal exchange took seconds before I hopped in the ride and made my way home. So the violator damaged the door jam and swiped a six-year old computer unknowingly. What’s the lesson here? I’m always telling people about the lesson forged through the hardship, the wisdom in the narrative but this one left me head scratchin’. I’m standing in on the porch sweeping debris and thinking about how roberries are often far worse. They come in much more grim varieties and my wife and I were actually spared. Whether you call it gettin’ jacked, robbed, ganked, got, etc. the way it happened to me is certainly preferrable over countless alternatives. Here’s to Character.