I Got Robbed Today...

Imagine your thoughts when you receive a text message while in class that reads, "We got robbed." Immediately I pictured the house stripped of everything including all my sneakers and pictures on the walls. Soon after running out of class I pulled in my driveway to see a police car sitting in front of the house. Inside were my roommates and the police officer walking around the house looking for clues, handprints, and things that have gone missing. The assessed damage was a laptop computer, flat-screen TV, digital camera, and money. Luckily whoever robbed us was not into sneakers because I had a collection of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of them on shelves and all over my floors. The collection ranges from my priceless custom sneakers to a pair of the Marty McFly Hyperdunks. Without my sneakers I would have been crushed!

When I first received the text saying we were robbed, there were a few things I specifically feared about instantly: (1) the LeBron painting I've been working on for the past couple weeks, (2) LeBron's size-16 Air Force 1 shoes being used for the project, and (3) the autographed 11x17 picture of Rip wearing the arm sleeve I made him for the 2008 NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest. Those three things I've put a lot of work into already, would be hard to obtain another pair, and would be extremely difficult and unlikely to be replaced. Luckily I always carry my laptop, which is undoubtedly my most important asset. Otherwise that would have been one of the top feared missing items.

Material goods can be replaced, but putting hard work into certain things and personal items can never be. And not only that, but I found out the hard way that when you know someone broke into your house and went through your office and bedroom, there's a sense of security lost in violation. Lesson learned: make sure your valuables are properly secured - things could have been much, much worse. I was very fortunate.