I WAS ROBBED

I have posted for a couple of weeks because I was ROBBED--which has been taking up a lot of my time.  For the record, when people tell you not to keep your PIN number in your wallet and not to carry your social security cards around either, there is a REASON for that.  The last two weeks have been a major pain in the buttocks dealing with the theft of my wallet.

But, more disturbing than the loss of my money and other "stuff," is the loss of the feeling of security I had at work.  It was just a short month ago that I caught myself walking down the hall at DMACC and thinking, "Wow, I finally feel comfortable here; like I belong."  Just a few days later and a stranger walked into my classroom while I was teaching, grabbed the wallet from my purse on the floor at the back of the room, and ran off with my . . .  everything.  He took my cash card and immediately went to several ATMS's and withdrew my money.   It happened on a payday,of course.  But he also took all my credit cards, my checkbook, my insurance cards, my children's and my social security cards--and bunch of other stuff too numerous to mention including some coupons, the bastard.

I dismissed class early (they were in tears, practically, because we didn't get to watch Yentl), and called the police.  They came and were great.  The guy also broke into the food pantry and stole some free food.  Very odd.

A few days later the police found my wallet with most everything in it--but no debit card (which I had already canceled) and no social security cards.  Cody and I went to the social security office in Fort Dodge to order replacement cards and to put a credit watch on our finances. It was pretty uncomplicated, really,but I was surprised to see an armed security guard at the door of the offices.  "What's this world coming to"" was my cliche'd thought.  A week later a good Samaritan in Boone found my debit card when she was out jogging, tracked me down, and called me.

Lesson learned: I don't carry my PIN number or my social security card with me any more and I take my purse everywhere, even to the front of the classroom.  Still--something valuable is lost--and it's not just my med card, which wasn't with the rest of the wallet when it was recovered.  The whole "Iowans are good people; they would never steal" naivety is gone.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to remember my kids' social security number (I can barely remember my own!) and it is requested EVERYWHERE--but I'll figure out a way and put those new cards that arrived today in the safe.  The bank gave me back the stolen money and the cards have all been replaced. My struggle now is to remember the lady that went out of her way to find me after she found my battered debit card on the ground and not dwell on the skinny, nervous, unhealthy young man that robbed me.

But,I'm freaked out. I teach a lot of night classes this term and often am walking to my car after 10:00 PM. My friend David bought me pepper spray and this thing that if I pull out the pin, it will make a REALLY loud noise--but that still doesn't make me feel much safer.  I want to bring either Dean, Cody, or Macbeth with me to work at night, to keep me safe from the bad'uns that enjoy hurting people. I know it is irrational--but it is still how I feel right now as I prepare to walk to my car after class at 9:30 at night.

Pepper spray in one hand; cell phone in the other--here I go.  But I'm telling you right now, that thief took way more than my wallet--he took my confidence and that's a little harder to replace than credit cards and checkbooks.