Getting Robbed Made Me Happy

Who would have ever thought that getting robbed would make me a happier person? I never did and it was one of my fears about leaving home to a country considered to be the murder capital of the world (oh shit it still is), Honduras. My plan was to go thereon a dive trip and this was my first time ever leaving home to go backpacking,it just so happened the lovely island of Utila would be my diver's paradise.

I traveled with a group of friends and being the naïve travelers we were, we rented a house inland and every morning we would walk the journey out to our dive shop.Luckily the landlord had a closet with a lock and key for all of our valuables.One morning a group of us were leaving to go on a dive, a good friend of mine was still asleep in his room and this was a good enough reason enough to say fuck it and leave the safe room containing all of our valuables wide open. I'm sure I don't have to explain to you the events that took place while our buddy slept that morning… but he awoke to an empty closet!? No laptops, no phones, no wallets, no Go Pro's, no everything. What an awesome way to start anew adventure you fucking idiots. 

He waited for us to return from a dive to give us the news of how stupid as shit we were and how most of our stuff was long gone. That was it, there was nothing we could do.The police were useless and our stuff would be shipped back to the mainland and sold. It's funny how fast you can learn about the way crime works in a place you've only just arrived in. News of this event spread and suspicious names were thrown around, but at the end of the day, our stuff was long gone.Another word of advice, don’t be a hero unless one of your favourite past times is getting stabbed multiple times in a place where the Island doctor is higher than Jim Morrison orbiting the moon. Shout out to Dr. John, so blessed to have seen you pull a heavily used vibrator out of your couch as if you just found some loose change. Did I mention that travel brings you those special,unforgettable moments?  

For a couple days or so we were all devastated, how could we let this happen? We felt terrible because it was our own stupid ass fault. But once I thought about it more I was grateful we left that door open. The outside stairs led directly to the upper level where the closet was located and my buddy slept on the lower floor, I sometimes wonder how the events would have occured if he was woken up by the rumble of someone trying to break down the door. Clearly, they watched us leave and planned to rob us that day, so a locked door may not have deterred them. Part of me is happy he slept right through it because a confrontation could have ended much differently. (stab stab ow ow stab ow)

Another change that occurred to me was how nice it was to not be attached to my phone now that it was gone. The phone has become a modern day addiction, lifeless screen gazing is an epidemic and the disappearance of my phone eliminated it as an option, it forced me out of the old habit of looking down into my own little world, it actually makes a real difference to look up and enjoy the moments that usually pass unnoticed. I could feel my personality change, I was instantly more sociable and more willing to get up and do something new. Plus I no longer had to worry about getting robbed again! Right?

Oh wait…. Later, during my same trip, another unfortunate occurrence took place. I woke up one morning, stepped outside and low and behold my clothesline was mysteriously empty. Being a diver meant my stuff was always soaked, so every night I would leave it all out to dry. I didn't remember removing any of my clothes the previous night, so I looked around and checked that maybe the wind blew them off onto the neighbour's yard. There was no sign of them anywhere and my estranged friend next door would usually throw them back onto our deck when this happened, he would also throw rocks at our door to see if we needed more weed. Pro tip numero uno - never buy weed from your weird ass neighbour, but I can't help but admire a driven entrepreneur. Anyways, that’s when it dawned on me… someone stole my fucking clothes. I couldn’t believe it! My dirty, old, sweaty, ripped up and wet clothes?! They weren't anything special, but along with my phone, they were most definitely gone. The opposite of pitted dude.

I was furious that morning and I paced around wondering where they could be, I made plans to walk around the island to see if I could spot them on a stranger's body, or hanging from another houses line. But then it suddenly hit me. Someone out there needed clothes badly enough that they would steal mine. Someone out there was desperate enough to take my old and dirty worn out clothing, my perspective changed that instant. We live in a world today where people have to steal in order to have something as simple as a shirt. I no longer blame the individual that did it, how could I? I couldn't even imagine a reality where I needed to steal to survive. Could you? As you read this fully clothed in your room with Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV playing in the background for no reason. Oh, what's that? You have a magical silver spout in your bathroom that spits out high pressured, adjustable and clean drinkable water you use to wash off your dick. Bonus points if you're naked and reading this, I tip my hat to you.

These lessons would have never come to me if it wasn't for getting robbed while away from home(twice). My mind never operated this way before hand, I had a much narrower perspective. It was a mixture, first I could stop staring at a phone and living in my own head and this allowed me to look around and see - see things for what they truly are.  My mind was opened up to the fact that stealing doesn't just happen to the individual getting stolen from, it's also a matter of events that shaped the life of the one stealing. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have things we take for granted, even things as simple as the shirt on your back. 

I'll never forget getting robbed twice in one trip and I will never let that deter me from taking another trip either. I learned lessons that hold immense value for me, still to this day. I appreciate more than ever before how lucky I am. How lucky we all are.