sign of the times

Yesterday, someone, it seems, stole a bit of gasoline from my car, while it was parked in the parking lot at work, in the middle of the afternoon! It is a small lot, as these things go...I work at a 12-bed in-patient hospice unit. The cook observed someone suspicious near my car as she was taking garbage out...and after she thought about it, she came and told me and other co-workers whose cars were parked nearby to go check our cars. I have an older car, so she does not have a locking gas cap. The gas cap was unscrewed and just barely sitting inside of the latch door thingy, and my gas tank was a bit lighter than when I got to work that morning. I think that this is something that will happen with more frequency as people get increasingly desparate due to rising gas and grocery costs. I did not want to call the sheriff, but it was not my decision...the manager of the unit called, but fortunately, I did not have to "make a complaint". This is how I look at it....hopefully, he needed it more than I did. Which is not to say life is easy for me right now financially. I, by neccessity, live 55 miles one-way from where I work, and have to go there a minimum of 5-days per week...often 6. I also drive alot for my job, visiting people in their homes and nursing homes. My spouse's workplace closed one year ago, and he has been unable to find another job, so we live on my income....which is much lower than what his was. We are still very blessed, I want to affirm that loud and clear, but it is "tight", especially when I am having to spend about $140 per week on gas. So, all that being said, I just feel sad that folks have to try and steal gasoline in broad daylight out of a hospice parking lot. God help us all...and may we, as a country, learn to livc more simply.