Purselifting

For the second time, Fiorella had her purse stolen in HEB on Williams Drive.

She and Husband were shopping, and the basket changed hands a couple of times, but as they headed toward paper towels at the far side of the store, Fio (as is her habit) glanced down at the small top basket where she always keeps her purse.  It was missing.  Three years ago, she was careless in changing to a different basket, but this time no other basket had been involved.

Alarmed out of her mind, she rushed to the front of the store for help.  As she was led into the manager's office, she called out to the rest of the store: "My purse has been stolen and yours may be next!  Watch out!"

She ended up at the service desk, trying to remember what her very unique purse looked like and what it had in it.  She glanced across at another line--a woman was holding her purse!  The woman said that a lady had found it in her basket and asked her to turn it in.

Fiorella thinks that after she yelled out, somebody didn't want to be caught with a hot purse.

Lutheran Guilt

Pastor Karl got mugged a couple of months ago. As he was picking up trash around the church, a transient walked across the grounds. Pastor gave him an innocuous greeting, and, when the man didn't respond, repeated himself. So man beat him up and stole his wallet. As Pastor Karl explained to Fiorella, it was his own fault. He shouldn't have tried to communicate with the man after he didn't acknowledge his first greeting.

Fiorella disagrees. What Pastor Karl did was give the man a second chance, which is a behavior pattern she admires--that he gives people second chances, and thirds, and fourths, and forevers.

But Fiorella understands his guilt. After all, she took personal responsibility for her purse being stolen in HEB. However, on deeper reflection, her guilt is just as misplaced as Pastor Karl's. People should be safe from mugging, no matter what they say or how often they say it. And purses should be safe, even if left unattended in a grocery cart.

Fio was a victim. Pastor Karl was a victim. The thief and the mugger are the guilty ones.

Burn-shy

Fio has to get right back on that horse, but she doesn't want to. After all, once burned, twice shy.

Yes, Fio does not want to return to the HEB where she was robbed last Friday--someone stole her purse and extracted all the folding money therein. She did get the purse back with all IDs and credit cards intact, but she still feels violated, like when someone swipes something off your front porch.

Fio was upset all weekend, which is probably why she screwed up by e-mailing the ARWA loop when she meant to respond to an individual member, and why she really screwed up in submitting unedited entries to two writing contests. In fact, she messed up so badly that she put off opening up her trusty Dell this morning.

Since you're reading her right now, you know that she did gut up and take the plunge. But it's gonna be a while before she goes back to HEB on Williams.