As if this hasn’t been a tough enough 8 months between the layoff, the breast cancer, the continued unemployment, the lack of any income, this morning sort of made me feel like if it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any at all.
My Michigan kids asked me to come up to babysit tonight. They’ve never asked me to this before and I was NOT going to pass up the opportunity to spend time with my grandkids. So this morning I packed up my duffel and I packed up my computer and all the accompanying chargers, headphones, my food for the road bag, and other assorted stuff and I put it all in the car and left the house.
The plan was to leave after my doctor appointment since it was in the city – a location I go to regularly (near Swedish Hospital). I was gone a mere 75 minutes. It was morning. There were people. It was near a hospital and a park. On a major street.
I came back to my car to find that someone had busted the passenger side window and emptied my car. My clothes were gone. My medications – gone (I hope they swallowed them all and get thrown into overactive thyroid seizures with a size of menopause). A bit of cash I had in the center section for emergencies – gone. My computer and all the chargers – gone.
Frustrated screams ensued, literally. When I was done with that, I opened Find My Mac on my phone and flipped on the computer’s “lost device” mode. I got in the car and headed for the PoPo to file a police report (gotta do that before filing insurance claim). I showed the cop where the computer was located and asked him to send someone to pick it up. His response was to 1) shake his head no and then 2) tell me they don’t dispatch from there. (State Senator Ram Villivalam and State Representative Kevin Olickal and Maggie O’Keefe – maybe this kind of thing needs looking into – serve and protect and all that, eh?)
But me being me I asked him if he was saying that I needed to do my own police work and find it myself. He advised that I be careful and not approach the thieves. Oh the things I wanted to say to him at that moment…I held my tongue.
The computer was registering about 6-7 miles away (at the totem pole park on LSD for those who know the area). So I embrace my warrior self and hauled my butt down there, glass falling in clumps from the shattered window. When I got within a block I called 911. They showed up an hour later, I shared with them where the computer was. Then they went a-hunting. I didn’t honestly have any hope. But when they drove back to me flashing a thumbs up signal I was giddy! NFW!
They found the computer bag in a public trash can in the park. The computer was inside!!!!!!!! They did not find my duffel bag, however. Some homeless person got themselves some great Athleta pants, a few Gap classic t-shirts, three pairs of hand-knit socks, and a pair of Ugg slippers (not to mention some amazing skincare). Can’t afford any of those replacements. But my computer is safe and my data is safe and THAT is thanks to Apple and a couple of Chicago beat cops who cared enough to listen and take a woman seriously.
Y’all, I’m tired of being resilient.
