Who Steals My Purse Is Trash...

Okay, it wasn't exactly my purse that was stolen -- I don't own a purse -- and I usually don't butcher Shakespearean quotations like that.

But to me, the sentiment fits.

My briefcase was stolen yesterday from the restroom of the local library. At first I thought it was merely misplaced but it soon became obvious that it was definitely stolen and I even went to the trouble of filing a police report about it.

Most of the stuff inside the briefcase was valuable to no one but me, but it did contain a checkbook and some credit card receipts and as a result, I had to spend a good deal of time yesterday closing out my most vulnerable accounts and changing over to a safer system.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to recover any of the things that were taken -- especially two spiral notebooks full of written material that will be difficult to replace -- but I am pleased that it wasn't worse.

That it was only my briefcase -- and not my wallet, my car, etc. -- that was taken.

And yet I'm angry. Both at myself for leaving such an item in an unsecure location and at the thief for taking something that so obviously didn't belong to him or her.

For now on, I won't be so cavalier about leaving my personal items about for other people to steal. So I guess that's at least one lesson learned.

I just hope I don't have to learn a harsher one before this situation is resolved.