I am so disappointed

   I am so disappointed.

  Today at work I lost my pair of snips. For those who may not know, that is a pair of small scissors used to cut yarn. A new pair costs from  seventeen dollars and up. I had that pair for a while now. It wasn't my favorite pair, that pair disappeared a few weeks ago. I'm not sure whether I also lost that pair or if someone saw them on the desk and thought they would look better in their pocket. So yes, I'm disappointed in my co-workers. Not all of them of course. Just the ones that don't understand that there is no such thing as the Snip Fairy floating about leaving gifts of snips for people. If there is a pair of snips on the floor, someone dropped them. They belong to someone and if you aren't going to turn them in, then that person has to replace them. That person today-- being me.

My manager also had her snips and a knife disappear last night. I may be wrong, but I don't believe that the person who helped themselves to those items was from our department. Nor the one who took things from the lab.

I've had things disappear before. I've even had someone go into my lunch cooler and take a container of cantaloupe. So yes, I'm disappointed.  I can't help but think back.

 Growing up my brothers and I were taught to respect each other's belongings. If you wanted to borrow it, you asked. If no one was there to ask, you left it alone. If you were given permission to borrow, then once you were finished with it, you returned it. You returned it in the condition you found it in if not better. We took care of our things and we took care of the possessions of family. There was no worry about things getting mysteriously lost. We slept with windows wide open, we didn't worry about if the door was locked or even closed well up into the night. My Grandparents lived next door and my Grandfather was quite the collector. Granted it wasn't usually the most expensive of items, but there were some interesting things to be found. As kids, I never knew of anyone taking anything. That changed as time passed.

After my Grandparents had passed on my parents moved into their house. We moved into the house that I grew up in. There was a very nice lady that lived in a mobile home straight across from mom and dad. when she passed away her son moved into the mobile home and brought problems with him. Things disappeared, strange people were always going in and out. It was not unusual to see the police over there or the occasional rescue truck due to drug problems. and yes, things disappeared. Some things were returned, others were never seen again. Still, that innocent, naive part of me wants to see the good in people. I want to believe in people. Things have changed so much, since we were kids.

We watched programs on television like Mayberry, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan..innocent programs that entertained. Some where along the line the lines were crossed and blurred. Programming on television became more violent, the language more blue. with each passing day more things are allowed that never went have been there --back then. I don't doubt that a lot of the advances that have been made are a good thing, we just don't know how to use it in a way that leaves us more time to do other things. While I know not everyone walks around with their eyes glued to something electronic. Not all of us spend all of our time playing video games, watching television, or some other activity that has us stagnant. But a lot do. So many have lost the ability to use their imagination. They have lost the ability to socialize face to face. We have lost respect for ourselves and others. I know that times are hard. I know a lot of people are out of work, afraid, lost, in need. In need doesn't mean that its okay to steal.

So yeah, I'm disappointed.