Pay it forward...

The world is a cynical place.  Far too often, I find myself going down the jaded path of life.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Debbie Downer or anything.  At the same time, I try not to look at the world through rose colored glasses.  Things happen to everyone.  Sometimes good, sometimes bad.  I think I lean more on the side of the pragmatist than the wishful thinker. It's sorta like the the old saying, "The best defense is a good offense." I've got the offense going at all times. I'm pretty certain that everyone's got an ulterior motive. Deep down, I guess I just don't trust anyone.

Imagine my surprise when, on Easter Sunday, my car got broken into. What a horribly invasive feeling. There wasn't anything in my car that was of any real value. Nevertheless, I felt completely violated. Someone had gone through my stuff. They took some of it. That was my hockey puck. Those CDs that I hadn't listened to in almost 8 years were mine. I don't know - maybe the thief was in dire need of the replacement bulb for the back tail light of his 1996 Ford Ranger, and that's why he stole my owner's manual. I'm sure that handicapped permits can net a pretty penny on the black market. Same goes for the Walkman that was taken, too. The one thing that I am thankful for is the fact that no windows were broken. Turns out, a flathead screwdriver can pry open my sliding rear window. Don't get any ideas - there's nothing good left in my car to pillage. Shoulda gotten here before Easter. So my crap got taken. It sucks, but what are you going to do? I still have my car. I'm not stupid enough to leave my iPod, cell phone, Bluetooth headset, or cash in the car. The loss could have been much worse, right? I think I was more upset about the fact that someone actually went through the trouble of breaking into my car at all, especially when you can take a peek inside and CLEARLY see that there's nothing worth stealing inside. Despite what my dad says, I doubt that a coffee cup full of pens (half of which don't work) would lure would-be thieves to my car. All I know is if I broke into my car, I would be very disappointed. I think the items that were stolen were taken purely out of spite. Why fill your backpack with crap that won't get you even a couple of crystals of meth? Move on.

Apparently, that's pretty much what the thief thought. I received a message at home today from "Mike." Mike has apparently found my owner's manual in an alley a few miles from my house. My car's registration and proof of insurance was in there, so I guess that's how he was able to research my phone number. Or maybe he called my dentist - his business card was also in the portfolio that I keep the owner's manual in.

So now, I'm waiting to hear back from "Mike," so that we can arrange to meet. I'll give him $20, and he'll hand over my owner's manual. He probably doesn't have my cell phone car charger, or the headset that I use to talk on the phone when I forget to bring my Bluetooth headset. I'm not going to ask him either. Don't think that I haven't suspected "Mike" of being the guy who originally broke into my car. Maybe he was looking for an iPod, but settled for my Walkman instead. Perhaps after taking stock of the unfortunate bounty that came from my car, "Mike" was riddled with guilt and disappointment, and decided to give me back my owner's manual. He's probably banking on some sort of reward, and he'll ultimately end up getting his next hit of meth from me after all. This time, though, it won't be so labor intensive for "Mike."

On the other hand, there's a teensy weensy chance that "Mike" is just a good samaritan who, while on a daily walk through the alleys of San Pedro, stumbled upon a blue pleather portfolio containing my almost expired insurance and registration, as well as the owner's manual to my car. Despite what suspicions I may have of "Mike," I've learned that sometimes it's better to just accept things as they're offered to you - positive or negative. Perhaps this is my payback for a nice thing I did for someone in the past. Lord knows I've found my share of wallets and other personal items lying near garbage cans or tossed under bushes. I've tried to return them to their rightful owners because I know what it's like. So maybe the ulterior motive in this case is to thank me for the good deed I've done to someone else.

Probably not, but it's nice to think so.

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