Kindle stolen from gym. I feel too angry to return

A couple details. It was 5 am on Monday. I was alone in the gym and assumed I was safe. I forgot it was there when I set it down on the floor. I left the gym. It was empty. I walked back to my apartment, realized my mistake and returned. It was gone. The gym was empty. I spent about 10 minutes away from the gym. It's deactivated, police report is filed. My main concern now is how to get over the anger so I don't seethe for the rest of the day after a workout. Just being there pisses me off.

Here is a good example of knowing the difference between what you can control and what you cannot.

You can do things differently in the future and will.

You can do nothing about what has already happened. Let it go and chalk it up to a lesson learned. It was just a thing.

De-authorize the Kindle and report it as stolen to Amazon. They may be able to do something about it.

Report the theft to your landlord. They won't be able to do anything about it, but report it anyway. If the thief ends up feeling guilty there's a slight chance they'll turn it in as lost and found. It's a long shot, but worth mentioning.

Then don't let the thief steal your fitness as well as your Kindle. He or she has likely already fenced it and moved on. I'm deeply sorry, I know it sucks to have stuff stolen, but it's property. It's an object. Objects can be replaced.

People steal. All the time. Everywhere..including the gym...church..schools. etc.

Let it go and move on but don't let it ruin your relationship with the gym! A kindle can be replaced. It sucks, yes.

And yes, I've had stuff stolen from the gym....same car broken into 4 times...it's a HORRIBLE feeling knowing someone took something you earned or worked hard for.

But..things could be worse. ♥

At least it’s cheaper than an iPad.. never leave your personals unattended in public!!

My first day at my new gym someone stole my shoes. There are little cubbies under the lockers that everyone leaves their shoes in (I change into regular shoes after my workout & shower). They weren't anything fancy, would never leave my Uggs or Jimmy Choos under there, just $20 sketcher mules I got at Marshalls. I was astounded & pissed.

Its disapointing, no one who is going to your basic chain gym is wealthy. We all have the same goals. But I look at it this way. That person may be in better shape than me physically but I will always have stronger morals & a better character.

That jerk has has caused you a small financial inconvenience. Don't let it be bigger than that.

I once had an mp3 player of mine stolen by an employee at Planet Fitness. I know it was an employee because I verified over the phone that they had found it and were keepign it behind the counter. Went in, and it was nowhere to be seen.

How did you get over it? I mean, in your shoes I would be judging each and ever person I see and wondering if they were the one that took it. I mean, that's what I'm doing.

I've got more than 20 years on you, so please allow me to play the "old man" card.

You'll learn that possessions come and go. Never develop an emotional attachment to your possessions. A THING should never have that much control over you. When you lose a THING, you work a little extra hard and replace the THING if you feel the old one was giving you valuable service. If it wasn't, you don't replace it.

I've had lots of THINGS stolen. Bicycles, records, stereos, schoolbooks, tapes (including a particularly dramatic 3-window smash, apparently the thief didn't like my selection of cassettes in my car so he snapped every single one of them in half then broke two more windows in addition to the one he broke to get in, then trashed the stereo and cut the seats up).

All of them were THINGS. I wasn't hurt. It cost me money. It sucked. But THEY WERE THINGS.

Break my THINGS, and I will buy new THINGS. It'll suck, and cost money, but there's not a single THING that I'd own that I'd shed a single tear over. Yeah, I might get pissed off for a while, but I'll just go out and buy an even nicer THING if the old THING was useful.

Getting ripped off is one of the worst feelings in the world - and I don't know how to get over it. When I was 16, my first job was as a lifeguard at the YMCA. My watch was stolen from the changing room. I have never forgotten that - even though I should have been able to let it go. (I am now 71.) Other ripoffs also rankle.

I hope you have made BIG noises at the office of your apt complex. I hope you have posted LOTS of notes on the bulletin board, and on the walls of the exercise room.

Your job is to make the thief feel bad about his/her actions. Post those notices!!!!

Hard way to learn a lesson. I have never had anyuthing stolen from me. I don't bring anything with me that I can't monitor. Or more than I can carry on my person.

As for the person who had all the items stolen from their car. I would impress upon you that you should never leave anything in your car unattended that you don't want to lose or can't replace. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people will bust into your car if they see anything of value.

It was a convertible. LOL. I dont care anymore if people steal from me. I really don't. There's nothing I have that I can't live without.

Yep. I ride a motorcycle. If something is strapped to my bike, everyone can see it. I have a tail bag that I have on the back that I use for transporting those things that I might need for whatever ride I am on. There are always cigars in it. When I get to wherever I am going and have to be out of line of sight of my bike, I undo the buckles on the leather bag. I would rather have someone steel a couple cigars or a bungee cord than cut the straps on my leather bag.

Luckily, it's never happened. I like to think there is some camaraderie among bikers that keeps us looking our for each other.

Yeah dude, I'm not careless at all. It just happens. I had a radar detector on my dash in my car. Went in a place to have breakfast, came out, and it was gone. I didn't think someone would take that because they really had to reach in to get it, and it was parked in a very public spot. If they didn't know who I was, the owner could have been anyone around there.

I have learned to take reasonable precautions, but if someone wants something, they are going to get it. So, that's that. I mean, I had stuff taken right out of my backyard, including clothes and 2 large surfboards. How do you steal 2 large surfboards out of someones backyard?

Anyway...

I was at Planet Fitness and had money stolen out of my purse. I didn't have a lock for my locker and just threw my purse in an empty one. When I was done I opened my locker and my purse was gone. I thought I was gonna die. My life was in my purse. I went to the front desk and told them what happened. Apparently the thief took my purse into a bathroom stall to rifle through it and left it there. Someone found the purse (minus my money) and turned it into the front desk. I am actually thankful because it could've been much, much worse. While I was talking to the front desk employee a young girl (early 20s) came up in a panick. Someone stole her purse too. We eventually found the purse sans money. She had over $400 in her purse (she was going Christmas shopping after the gym). I have since bought a lock and always locks my stuff up.

It sounds like to me you’re less worried about the physical loss than the loss of trust. It’s a really painful and hard truth that folks are very difficult to trust. Any one of us and any time may or may not live up to your or my personal standards. Even people we love and know very well disappoint us sometimes. It could have been anybody – maybe even just a kid that happened to pass by. It’s even possible that someone DID turn it in and the rental office employee kept it. You’ll never know. You can’t control people and their bad decisions. No matter how hard you will it on them, we are not all pillars of morals and values and we don’t always make the best decisions. You can control you and your reaction to it. Know that you would have done the right thing and turned it in and that you don’t have to live with the fact you’re a thief. That’s someone else’s problem. Replace it when you can, and move on.

As a side note, some people are really great too. I left my purse in a crowded mall. I just left it sitting on the back of a chair! I realized it about 15 minutes later and ran into one of the mall cops who happened to be talking to the couple that had just turned it in. They were so sweet and so concerned that it find its way to the owner completely intact. I gave them both a big fat kiss right on the lips!

I once had an mp3 player of mine stolen by an employee at Planet Fitness. I know it was an employee because I verified over the phone that they had found it and were keepign it behind the counter. Went in, and it was nowhere to be seen.

How did you get over it? I mean, in your shoes I would be judging each and ever person I see and wondering if they were the one that took it. I mean, that's what I'm doing.

Wow. You just need to get over your *kitten*. It's just a thing. A meaningless stupid thing. Your life could be so much worse. have you ever been held at gunpoint and robbed? Beaten and had money taken from you? I have. It could be so much worse. Just forget it.

While things could certainly be worse, I'm well within my rights to be upset. It was a gift, and so it has more than just monetary value. It was sentimental. It meant a lot to me. It's not just a thing. It's not just the kindle that was taken either. It was my comfort in the gym, in my home, and my faith in humanity. Those are not just things.

Ah. Maybe you're young and haven't been ruined yet by the world.

I realize it might have some value to you. But, there's nothing that can be done. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Festering over it is a total waste of energy and time. And, it's completely insane actually, since it serves zero purpose at all.

Maybe you're more than willing to play the victim, but not everybody is. People deal with things differently, so the only thing "insane" is you telling someone else how the should feel or react. There's plenty that can be done about it, if you don't just roll over & give up.

It is always upsetting when you lose something, but you lost it rather than have it stolen.

We you leave something that is valuable unattended, blaming the person who picked it up is unfair when it was your own negligence that got the Kindle stolen. Unfortunately modern society in general is in decline, good samaritans are a dying breed and a lot of people would rather keep things they find for themselves. We must rely on our own vigilance and common sense to keep the things we treasure safe.

Like people have said you need to either lock it up or leave it at home, or don't let it leave your sight.

Unfair to blame a thief? Yes, let's not blame the loser who took something that didn't belong to them, let's blame the person who had it stolen. That makes perfect sense! </SARCASM>

Unfair to blame a thief? Yes, let's not blame the loser who took something that didn't belong to them, let's blame the person who had it stolen. That makes perfect sense! </SARCASM>

But why should we blame others and not accept responsibility for something that was our fault? It was not stolen, it was left in a public place and unattended. Pure an simple negligence. If I left my car unlocked and the door wide open what right do I have to say it was someone else's fault that my car stereo was stolen?

We need to start taking responsibility for our own actions before instantly laying blame elsewhere.

Unfair to blame a thief? Yes, let's not blame the loser who took something that didn't belong to them, let's blame the person who had it stolen. That makes perfect sense! </SARCASM>

But why should we blame others and not accept responsibility for something that was our fault? It was not stolen, it was left in a public place and unattended. Pure an simple negligence. If I left my car unlocked and the door wide open what right do I have to say it was someone else's fault that my car stereo was stolen?

We need to start taking responsibility for our own actions before instantly laying blame elsewhere.

Somebody needs to bookmark dictionary.com. She didn't lose it, she knew right where it was, until it was STOLEN. So if you put your car keys down, turn around & I take the keys & take your car, I guess you lost your car, & I didn't steal your car. No wait, that would still be grand theft auto.

It wasn't her fault. Was she negligent? Yes, but it was the fault of the thief who took something that didn't belong to them. Nobody made the scumbag steal, it was their own decision to do so. There isn't anyone that can say they've never done something that could have led to something being stolen of theirs. Like leave your car running just to go & grab something from the house, for example.

The indisputable fact is that she was the victim, not the criminal. It's your type of thinking that excuses the guilty for their behavior. Let's not blame the drunk who kills someone on the road, it's the fault of the bar who serves him the drinks. You're just shifting blame from the criminal to the victim.