In case you ever had the idea that I have it all together or that I’m always in a good mood (hello, Enneagram 7!), let me tell you about the week I had. By the time this is published, it will have been several weeks from the actual events, so everything will probably have resolved itself.
When I came home from work after an eleven-hour day, I received a notice that I had three packages delivered, and I even had the photo from Amazon to back it up. There they were, sitting on my porch mat. Not the instructions that I gave, but I’ve had packages delivered there before with no problem. Well that day for some reason, between the 10:30 hour that they were delivered and the 6:00 hour that I returned, someone chose to pick up these packages addressed to me, tuck them under their arm, and walk away with a nice bonus. The thing is, these were not just the young adult books or the artistic sets that I usually order. No, this time I had decided that I was going to finally purchase a Kindle to use for my upcoming trips. So that was taken (*sob!*), along with a cool galaxy case and, wouldn’t you know it, my two world map luggage tags. Like I said, Merry Christmas to them!
I immediately contacted my apartment, but since they leave at 5:30 every day, I was not able to get in contact with them. Then I attempted to post to my apartment “bulletin board” but for some reason, it didn’t stay updated on my phone. So I tacked a note to my door in English and Spanish, hoping that someone in my gated community would see this note and grow a conscience. When I was coming back from checking the hallway in case they just got moved to another door (I always want to hope), the delivery person was bringing another package, my charger, to my door. I showed him my license and brought it inside. It is sitting on my counter now, waiting for my nonexistent Kindle. Needless to say, I was VERY angry. To the point that I was crying angry tears and I went for a run. After that, I realized that the only way to solve this was to get in touch with Amazon to tell them that I never received my packages and request a refund. They told me I needed to wait forty-eight hours, check with my neighbors, and double check the mailroom. Then I requested again and determined to go to Best Buy to pick one up in person. Hopefully I’ll get refunded eventually.
The next day right before leaving work, I dropped my phone in the toilet. That’s right. Complete submersion for at least two full seconds. I dried it off as best I could and sat it in the sun for close to thirty minutes. Then I powered it back on and it seemed to work perfectly. Until I tried to charge it that night. It had liquid in the socket. I pulled out the battery-powered alarm that I once used for camping and traveling to Spain and set it for early the next morning. Fortunately, I had some leftover jasmine rice from the last time I tried to cook and buried it until about 3:30 in the morning. The charger wouldn’t fit in the phone socket. It must have had rice in it, so I attempted to scrape something out gently with a bobby pin. Then compressed air at work, with the backup plan to use someone’s wireless charger before I might have to purchase my own. I also had the idea to visit a professional to take the phone apart and clean it, to see if it could be repaired before taking more desperate measures.
Finally on the third morning, and feeling fairly calm at this point, I reasoned with myself.
It is only stuff.
Yes, that amount of money is significant. And really, I need my phone in this fast-paced world I live in. I even use alarms to remind me to switch classes at work, which I will have to depend on a child to remind me. It can be humbling. But I am fortunate that I have a job that I can pay for another Kindle, even if I save up again for a couple weeks.
- I can run outside and still feel fairly safe
- I can draw in my new notepad just because I feel like it
- I can buy my favorite type of pen–in color!–because it sounds fun
- I can drop by the store after work to get a sandwich because I don’t want to cook
- I can drink a fru-fru coffee for dinner without repercussions
- Buy a pumpkin to decorate
- Watch my cats chase each other
- Get a new bookshelf for my never-ending TBR
- Watch a sunset/sunrise
- Walk to the pastry shop
- Run in the park
- Visit a library
And these are the things I just enjoy the most, not to mention the necessary things that I am able to do on a weekly basis. Is this money that I lost significant? Yes. Absolutely. But it doesn’t break me. There is so much more than having a light pack on a trip (which those who don’t know me, is important!). I can figure out a way to get new pictures and videos for my blog. I have options and I can still enjoy other things around me, even if some of it doesn’t work out. That’s what I’m (still!) learning.
P.S. – it is currently raining buckets outside, right as I’m prepping to drive to work.
Look for the blessings,
Hannah Marie.