Values and Stolen Bikes

My latest, stolen bike…

Our bikes were stolen from our garage. This is the second time we've had this happen to us living in our neighborhood. It is my fault. I had pushed the remote for our garage door opener from inside the house, but I didn't go out and check to see if it had closed properly. The garage door did not close, and someone in our neighborhood took advantage of the situation and stole our bikes.

Being robbed is an aspect of urban life. It doesn't define life in the city, but it is a reality. When something like this happens, I'm angry and frustrated because we work as a family to make things better in the world, and it feels like our efforts are futile. In times like these, I feel like the world is laughing at our values, and it's humiliating.

I find myself asking, "Why do we even bother?" We could sell the home and move to the suburbs and have the kind of lifestyle I had growing up. We gave this lifestyle an honest go and earned the right to pack up and find a less volatile area of the Edmonton region to live in. My wife and kids deserve better.

After I've cooled down, I'll remind myself that declaring your values is very easy. It doesn't cost me anything to say our family will be a redemptive presence in the world. Having our family live in a struggling neighborhood has costs associated with that reality. That choice costs money, time, energy, and sometimes a sense of safety. But at least we can testify that we're actually doing what we believe. Giving more than lip service to a value has its reward. The stories that matter most are the ones where people believe in their values enough to risk living them out.

How will we respond to being robbed again? We will be aggressive. We will continue to donate to organizations that respond to inequities in the city's core. We will buy more bikes and continue to use our bike trails. We will continue to take our kids to local playgrounds and visit as many local businesses as we can. Why? Because we believe light is stronger than darkness. Turning the other cheek is not an act of passivity; it's an act of aggression against the things in this world that need to change.

Thanks for reading friend, this one was a hard one to write. I hope I've encouraged you to look at your values and not give up when they're challenged.