Thieves Among Us

Having sentimental property stolen is probably one of the most unnerving experiences a person can endure.

The real offense is that the idiot-thief thinks that because a piece of property has little value in the "black" market, that the property won't be missed.

But as a friend of mine once noticed: "criminals are stupid".

No...I didn't have something stolen over the weekend (to my knowledge). But I had some odd experiences happen that I've learned to associate with criminal "casing".

One of those experiences was the famous midnight-visit-from-a-neighbor-with-a-common-cause. The "common-cause" was another neighbor creating excessive noise. What made the visit unusual was that the visitor handed me a handwritten note with fairly specific directions about: who to call and how many calls would result in the EVICTION of the offending party.

Combine that with a type of dream I have in which I recall names and numbers from two decades past (with perfect clarity), and the result is that EVERYONE is suddenly a suspect of some as yet undetermined crime.

Obviously, the idea that one experience connects with the other is irrational...but the effect on the mind is difficult to shake.

But, the real damage started years ago, when in a flurry of confusion, a VERY sentimental photo of my Great-Grandparents was destroyed by a thief whose only interest was in the Fender Precision Bass next to it.

Although the 60s Fender was valuable, it wasn't nearly so valuable as that nearly 80-year-old photo, which can NEVER be replaced.

The lesson here is that stealing gold is forgivable, but soiling memories makes permanent enemies out of otherwise friendly neighbors.