The Sunny Side Of The Street

This morning I walked to work in brilliant sunshine, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the warm sun on my bare arms was a promise of the summer to come.

In front of me a couple bundled up as though it were still mid winter crossed the road to the side in the shade and I wondered, why would you DO that?  We have had some beautiful days but they seem to be few and far between at the moment.  Why wouldn't you want to wring every last ounce out of the sun whilst it's shining?

It's been a trying few weeks hence the silence on the blog.  Several difficult situations have arisen and consequently I've been feeling a little low.

Primarily, I was burgled a week ago.  I'm not going to dwell on it too much.  It's left a nasty taste in my mouth but there are some positives.

The police have been absolutely amazing!  So often I hear stories where people feel our police force have failed them.  Well, all I can say is that my experience has been that they have exceeded my expectations by a long way.

For some reason the burglars didn't go upstairs for which I am eternally grateful.  Having someone ransack my bedroom or Miss Mac's room would have been heartbreaking for both of us.

There was no real physical damage done, drawers were pulled out but nothing was broken.

No one was hurt.

So yep, all in all, things could have been so much worse.

Some money was taken but they left the DVD player despite having pulled it out it was left on the floor, presumably once they had found some cash it looked less appealing to them.

Sadly the money wasn't mine, it belonged to the park group for which I am treasure but again, it could have been worse, I'd just made a payment in cash a few days before so there was less money in the cash tin than there had been.  It's a loss that I can cover with a little belt tightening.

The biggest loss is the briefcase they took.  I guess because it has a combination lock they thought it might hold something valuable.  Well it does, but not to them.  We have the AGM of the park group next week and the briefcase contains all the books and paperwork.  I'd only taken it out to do the final accounts in preparation for the AGM.  I don't even have anything electronically as our accounts are so basic that I keep a simple paper record and transfer it onto a spreadsheet each year to present to the committee and to give a copy to the Secretary. It's not insurmountable, most of the money is banked and safe, I can, with the help of others on the committee put together something resembling accounts and I know exactly how much money is missing.

Having your home violated in this way is horrible.  I've had plenty of sleepless nights since and according to SD, the nights where I do sleep are filled with restlessness and tears.  I've been short tempered and snappy and I've baked enough to feed an army.  Baking is something I always fall back on in times of stress, it clears my mind and soothes my soul but I'm running out of people to ply with cakes and crumbles and homemade bread and soup.  On the plus side, at least I'm not eating it all myself!

This morning made me think.

I can wallow in this and, to be honest, I have for a while but it changes nothing.  This wasn't personal, it was an opportunist.  All of the above is true, it could have been SO much worse.  I am a little more cautious, I don't feel completely comfortable in my own home right now, I am wary every time I unlock my front door wondering what I will find and it is going to take a little time for those feelings to pass.

I could walk in the shade, dwell on the bad things, wrap myself up in despondency and gloom or ...

I can hold my face up to the sun.  Be happy for the many, many good things in my life.  Put the bad things down to experience and move on.

So that's what I'm going to do because I choose to walk on the sunny side of the street.