In the early 2000’s my guitar amp was stolen out of the Methodist church - I probably shouldn’t have kept it there. I got a new one. I dropped and crushed my awesome guitar the day before Christmas eve 15 years ago. I got a new one. My bike -- the one I rode on for all the bike trips I’ve taken -- was stolen out of my secure building in Des Moines this last Thursday night. I got a new one.
This is stuff. These are things that do add value to my life, but it’s because I give them my time and attention and talent. In all these times, I can’t obsess or fret over the loss because in the grand scheme of things -- it’s not important and they are replaceable. Reflect on loss in your life and give value to the important things; death of loved ones, loss of friendships, loss of your pets … stuff is stuff.
We (me) sometimes get wrapped up in the unimportant things in life. We obsess over the drama of politics, of sports, of road rage or an unworthy or mean social media post. It’s not worth the energy we expend. Life is way too short to obsess over stuff. Today, reflect on your anxiety and ask yourself if it merits the value of the physical and mental harm you are doing to yourself.
So I put it up to the universe. I genuinely hope that whoever took my stuff gets some awesome use out of it. I sincerely hope they ride the bike hard, on the back roads of Iowa and the mountains of Colorado. “Godspeed, my worthy steed - propel forward!”
*because you might die before that. Or become a superhero, it’s impossible to predict the future.
