I miss the things that went missing

– Columns –

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine lost her wallet, which had important papers in it. She believes it was stolen, but has no leads. Understandably, she is very upset and wishes someone would step forward, and return the missing item.

This isn’t the first instance of things “missing” around the area. At first, I thought perhaps it was just a case of plain old criminals, looking for extra money or funds to buy drugs. But then political signs started disappearing from yards.

Hmm, is there much of a market for a Trump or Biden 2020 sign?

It seems the culprits of some of these thefts are either bored or simply causing mischief. I wonder if they know how distressing it is to wake up the next morning, and find something missing from their yard/home/business.

Years ago, when we still had a huge garden, I lovingly toted pumpkins out to an old-fashioned lamp post, erected a corn shock and decorated the base of it in true fall fashion. I was so proud of it.

Just before Halloween, I went out to find the pumpkins missing. Someone took them and broke my pre-teen heart in a million pieces. I think of that every fall. Maybe whoever did it thought it was a good prank or funny that they got free pumpkins. Maybe they took them to get smashed somewhere uptown on Halloween night.

Maybe they didn’t stop to think of the young girl who cried her eyes out. It may have been “good fun” to them, but it wasn’t fun for me.

I suppose I was a little too sensitive about it, but I was raised that you didn’t take ANYTHING that didn’t belong to you – that means apples on a neighbor’s tree, flowers in someone’s garden or rocks out of a business planter. Some people scoff at me, but I don’t care; it isn’t right to take something that isn’t yours.

Although I do pick up stray coins laying on the street, I feel bad about it, even though I know I could never find the owner of them. Anything else, nope, it’s not mine, and I make every attempt to return lost items or leave them where they are, in the hopes the owner will return.

Recently, unlocked cars have been gone through, with more valuable items taken, things set in yards turn up missing or are found ditched somewhere close by. It makes one not want to set anything out.

For example, we would like to decorate a little more at the office on the outside porch for holidays and such, but unfortunately, we’ve had bad luck with people taking things from there. It makes me sad, that we can’t even set out a few simple decorations, without fear of them getting taken.

Again, it’s not cute, it’s not funny, it’s not clever or just for a laugh. It can be very scarring and traumatic to have something stolen, and in some cases, devastating, as the thing(s) stolen could make the difference in someone’s life financially or health-wise.

I may be among the minority nowadays, but one motto I live by is, if it doesn’t belong to you, don’t take it. I’d say to put that on a yard sign, but you may want to do that at your own risk.