A year ago, today, I was deprived of my vehicle by hoodlums who didn't even have the guts to wait for a one-on-one; they jacked my car in my absence & had me looking & feeling befuddled for another 4-5 months!
It was the 7th of February 2020, started just like every other day. Although there were prior arrangements to visit the dealership that morning, there wasn't a guarantee that I would be returning with a car of my choice. Either ways, I went in the company of an elderly cousin & his friend, who are both good with experience when it concerns dealerships & value purchases of vehicles. When the dealer came through with the keys to the car (having sent pictures some days prior for my selection of preference), just one look at her & deep in my spirit I just couldn't help knowing that she's coming home with me. As is the case with any market situation, the bargain took quite a lot of energy & time, both parties (my team versus dealership) going back & forth on their own value placements. After nearly an hour, an agreement was reached for a particular figure & the payment process was activated immediately.
Over the next month, my car (Toyota corolla '12 model) would serve me well, with the best possible engine, sound system & air conditioning that reminds me of good old snow flakes.
On the 26th of march however, still in 2020, at about 1837(WAT), I arrived at a friend's, upon closing from work, to chill with him while waiting out the traffic of the evening rush that usually held my route home hostage. I got us a few drinks, & we unwound to a game of scrabble, then another, then watched some music videos. Time passed slowly till it hit 2147(WAT) when I decided to make my trip back home. I exchanged pleasantries with some other of his neighbors, & had my buddy see me to the gate where we would bid our farewells & hope to see the next day. And BAM! She wasn't there anymore... I was perplexed beyond measure, I had never felt that confused in my life (I mean, yes, this is another third world country and I've been robbed of cash & phones in time past, but my car?? By a petty thief??). I couldn't get over this one in a hurry. My head throbbed in pain, then it went empty, totally blank. I kept sizing the spot with my hands where I had parked it, kicked stones over to look for it; I was in a state of shock. Minutes began to feel like hours as I searched my head for absolutely nothing as it were, because the obvious consciously eluded me since I surely wasn't gonna accept that my car had been taken.
My pain and anger after a month seethed into deep depression; my days characterized by heavy alcoholism and in solitude - for yet another 4 months. I reported the issue to the law enforcement (police) office supervising that particular jurisdiction, a case that was chased to no avail.
Then came a particular day when I awoke with unusual energy that drove me mad positively, & the question on my lips went from "why me" & "how come" to "why not?" Why not work harder? Why not let go? Why not be thankful for the things you do have and let go the things you have lost?
Today is a more important day, because I stay reminded of the person I've become, having taken to heart that crucial lesson of life that teaches the solemn art of dying to pain & living to possibilities that come through losses. I own a house today, a greater asset, a year after my car was taken, and I got the strength to be this much stronger a man having lost a piece of the lesser man that existed once upon a time.
Life is designed to constantly throw rocks at us regardless of our status, and can only be fair enough as to the size of the rock it pitches given our age & level of responsibility. We can't dodge these rocks, but we can however, endure the hurt & use these rocks to build brick mansions! Life is bound to our understanding of it...
I leave with this well-known note: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
God bless your day
Ciao