Guess what happened to me yesterday? I'm not exactly sure what was going on but it was like I'm back to square one in my life. Whew. I think everytime I try to control my life everything goes wrong. Hmmm. Sometimes life is so confusing. Let me just share what happened...

♣ In The Beginning...

I got the flu last week so I spent the time at home, "resting". Yesterday was our Christmas Party and everyone was required to attend otherwise we would be charged a P2,000 fee. Whew talk about incentive, right? So okay, I had to go and I was feeling better so why not? Because I was going to wear a dress with no pockets, I put my house keys in my mobile phone pouch. Somehow I already felt I should not put my keys in there but I seem to not trust myself and think otherwise whenever I have those inklings. Usually I put the keys in my pants pocket but since I would be wearing a dress I put it there instead.

Before I left home, I accidentally found out the newly bought black bag I got from Shopee was damaged. The strap seal, or whatever it is, was suddenly falling off! Not sure if it was because it couldn't stand the weight of the items I put in or from wear and tear. I've only used it a few times so I was surprised it was damaged easily. So much for cheap imported items eh? I had to change bags then hurried out the door.

♣ The Office Christmas Party

I traveled to work and changed to the dress when I got there. After registering for the party at the hotel beside the mall our office was in, I then did client servicing. It got busy busy busy and then I said goodbye to my client. Upon returning to the hotel event place, I realized I lost my Christmas "basket" stub. Employees always get a Christmas basket of goodies, usually Spaghetti meal ingredients, ham and fruit salad ingredients. So ok, losing the stub didn't go well with me because I thought the food was also included with the stub. Told my manager I will just go home but was not allowed to go so I stayed and found out food will be served after the awarding ceremony. Hurray!

It was a buffet so I ate to my heart's content. Thank you Lord! Afterwards I stayed and watched the group performance contest even if I wanted to go home already. My manager said I should stay longer so fine, I did stay. Afterwards I got two Christmas stubs in total when my manager and a team mate gave me theirs. Little did I know, this would have a possible repercussion.

♣ Here's What Happened

Before I went home late that night, I got the heavy Christmas employee giveaways by exchanging my stubs. Then I changed clothes again and afterwards walked to the bus stop. My bag was open after changing because there's too many stuff in it.

Perhaps I am still too trusting in life and the goodness of men and also still not as concerned with my stuff as I should. I kept the bag open even while waiting for a bus and my hands were preoccupied with the loot in each hand. Yes, I was looking out for my open bag while waiting.

As I waited for a bus, I noticed that all the buses I could ride home were going up the flyover instead of where I was. I wondered why but I kept ignoring "this sign". Would have walked to another farther bus station way before the flyover but because the Christmas loot were heavy I convinced myself to just wait for a bus that will pass by. It took a while before one stopped by. Of course other people thronged to it too so when another one came up behind it, I went there instead.

_Source

Because the buses finally passed by the road we're waiting at, it was almost like rush hour even late at night where people were squeezing themselves in. We don't fall in line at EDSA bus stops you see. It's always everyone to ourselves. When I was going up I was being squeezed all around until someone made my eyeglasses fall off. WTF. Good thing it fell behind the bus door and no one stepped on it. But still my attention went to my fallen glasses as people went up ahead of me. I had to stay near the driver so I could get my glasses once everyone was aboard.

The bus was almost full so many of us were standing inside. After I got settled, going home proved to be okay. A jeepney ride and a tricycle later, no bad occurrence happened whatsoever. Nothing was suspicious at all. Only when I got at the front door of the apartment did I realize my pouch was missing. After carrying two heavy items all the way home I find out I lost my cellphones and house keys? I mean, COME ON!!!

I almost emptied my bag and even went outside to check if maybe it fell out when I got out of the tricycle but nothing. What a day huh? What a day. Left with no choice, I went to my nearest relatives (upstairs apartment) even if it was almost midnight. All of them were already sleeping but the elderly househelp was gracious enough to help me. My aunt got woken by the doorbell so I also told her what happened. They had the extra house key but for some reason it didn't work. Tried other keys labeled for our unit but none worked at all! What was going on with that day???

What else was I to do? Good thing I was told to just sleep in for the night. Of course I could not sleep last night. Only slept a few hours I think as I have no watch or phone and the room I was in had no clock. What it had though are several good books and booklets. Guess my cousin was into how to get rich too. Lol.

It's been an eternity since I read a book in its entirety. Saw a selection of good titles. I also could not sleep after my ordeal. To stop thinking about the bad things that happened over and over again, I chose to read two books to keep my mind preoccupied. One of them is Who Moved My Cheese? (So appropriate to my situation eh?) Nevermind the stocks and money related books. Lol. And then I also read How To Talk To Anyone.

I have always loved reading so these two books really lifted my spirits. The latter even more so because it had practical tips for salespeople like me. I'm not very good at socializing so it's a good book to read and I learned a lot. Even took notes! Whew. I used an old broken eyeliner in my bag. All my pens were in the stolen pouch and there were no pens or smartphones around so what else should I have used, right?

Suffice it to say after reading the books I was finally able to feel good and sleep better.

♣ What I Think About My Bad Day

All I could think of now is what they usually say these days: "It was a bad day, not a bad life." Bad days happen to all of us. It was an awesome day for Catriona Gray winning the Miss Universe 2018 crown but it sucked for me. The silver lining to this is my unlucky days only happen once or twice a year I think. They do not happen to me often (Thank God) but it sucks when it does.

Imagine going home with two Christmas "baskets" only to find out that I lost my keys and two mobile phones. I wouldn't have cared much if I lost my phones (again!!!) but my house keys? WTF!!! I knew I should have taken it out of the pouch but I just didn't listen to myself. It really sucks when I am stubborn and don't listen to the inner me or my gut feel. When my mind takes over me rather than anything else, it always ends up like this. When will I ever learn?


Of course there are instances when I do listen and avoid any bad occurence and feel happy I avoided it. Next time I should really focus on believing and following that inner voice. Ah, Lord knows I try. I always say next time but it still keeps happening. Tsk.

It's a good thing I have relatives nearby. I was able to get help and a place to sleep for the night. This morning I also got help in replacing the door knob. Of course it's an added expense but it's better than not having any sense of security at home.

It's also a good thing there were self help books available to help me deal with my loss otherwise I might have stayed up all night.

♣ What Now?

Since I feel better after reading the books, getting the doorknob changed and sleeping, I guess I should be thankful I don't need to get rid of the disgusting Xiaomi Red4A phone that I had for a year. Disgusting because I hate it. If you've been reading my posts since I started here on Steemit you'll know why.

So now I go to work tomorrow without a phone. No work selfie attendance to work tomorrow too. Damn I miss my phones even if they were all breaking down. The Xiaomi had a broken screen since a week after I bought it last year. And it corrupted my micro SD card during a memorable trip two weeks ago! Ugh. The non-smartphone was also already damaged for more than a year so maybe good riddance too. I can't even login to my other apps and accounts now without my phones. Ah life. Tomorrow maybe I will buy a cheap non-smartphone just so I can get my numbers back on new sim cards. I'd also need to get two affidavit of loss. Ah unexpected expenses when will it end?

Have I learned anything from this experience? Getting my smartphone stolen last year didn't teach me to back up my photos and videos online so I wonder if I will finally do so on my next smartphone... Guess I lost that bet to myself. Lol. Of course I learned to just move on like the mice in the book I read last night. Better than dawdling on what's already lost and gone. Hurray to new phones soon!

How about you? What do you do and how do you cope during bad days?

XOXO,
@artgirl

Written by @artgirl for Steemit.
© Art x Stephanie Rue

@artgirl is a freelance artist, writer and an online seller. For property inquiries, art and writing commissions, feel free to contact me.

For business inquiries, you can chat me up on Steem.chat, Telegram or send me a Facebook message. Link in my bio.

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