How do you let go when your baby gets hurt?
Against my better judgement I headed over to a coffee shop on my cross rig to get a cappucino because I w as falling asleep while working this afternoon. Some clueless _#(%@#(_% goes out of her way to lock right next to me on the rack. I think she scratched my front rim (Mavic CXP22) and my left pedal, a Candy SL, but I can't prove it. She locked in so tight I had to pull her out of line so I could unlock and leave. I hate it when people don't respect your property. She was riding an $80 Walmart special, where it is pretty obvious that my ride (03 Cdale cross disc) is not. I would've ridden my campus bike but I just sold it to pay for a singlespeed build that will be ready next week.
The other instance was about 5 days ago when someone kicked a soccerball down the hall of my dorm. We have a clear rule against ball in the hall that's been gone over several times, but no one respects it. The ball, of course, bounces into my room and knocks over my cross rig into a nice big piece of solid oak and a metal door handle that puts a nice scratch in. Thanks, a-hole.
How do I let go? I've scratched my bike myself, but it's even worse when someone else does it and its out of your control. I'm trying to exhale and let go - hell, it's a cross bike, its going to see abuse - but I can't. How do you relax about it? I work so hard for my toys that they become a part of me, and a tiny part of me dies each time I see my baby hurt.