Wednesday, November 29, 2006

On being robbed


H and I had very different responses to having our van stolen. She had a quick visceral response, even getting the shakes. She felt personally violated. In contrast, the first thing that came to mind in the park-n-ride when I understood the van wasn't there was, The van's been stolen. How typical. When I learned that ten cars a day get stolen in Portland, I wasn't surprised; indeed, I thought, Is that all? In other words, I have a less flattering view of the world we live in than H does. She believes everyone is basically good and some get perverted by environment. I believe everyone is basically an animal and some get civilized by environment.

Having one car makes life less convenient, particularly for me who drove the van almost exclusively since we bought a new car in 1998. The only real hassle will be getting to my piano lessons on Friday. A fifteen-minute drive is going to become an hour-and-a-half bus adventure. But I can live with that. I don't expect to get the van back. If we do, I doubt it will be in usable condition. It was almost time to put it to pasture anyway. I just hope it doesn't cause violence to someone in the hands of its new drivers.

I look at this as a premature transition in the adventure of aging. When we sold the house in a few years, we were going to become a one-car family. Fate has given us a jump-start.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Oh no!! I'm sorry!