A different world

Getting that stinky nasty phone call really made me think. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, scroll down and read the previous post). Is it just getting older that makes people more paranoid? Am I just more aware and less naive now? Or is this really a different world we live in? Probably, it's all three.

I get a lot of door-to-door solicitors in my neighborhood, which as a stay at home mom, drives me batty. Why on earth would I open the door to a stranger, especially if I have a baby inside? I've worked in news. I know what happens when the little woman all by herself open doors to complete strangers. It happens all the time. So when there's a knock, I panic because maybe they can hear that I really am in here. Or maybe they hear the TV. Maybe they won't go away? Maybe they'll go around the house and look in the back and see me? So I do that "stiff as a board" thing and stay completely still and do not move. Then I peek around the corner and venture toward the peep-hole in the door, quietly, so that the floorboards don't creak. And I peek. And usually by then the person is gone. But then I won't go outside for a while because I don't want them to see me. Last week, I saw one standing outside as I was pulling up in the car but I went right by my house and drove around for a while until the guy got up the block. I would never answer the door! Everything is a scam these days and not only is it dangerous to answer the door, but why on earth would I give them money, too? I am quite surprised that there is still a market for door-to-door sales, but I guess that there must be, and people must still be answering the door. So I guess I do believe it is a different world, because I no longer trust that someone knocking at my door will always have kind intentions. The same goes for phone solicitors, and it makes me angry that the very people who warn against giving out personal information over the phone, cops and state troopers, call people's homes asking for donations. I recently told a young man representing the state troopers over the phone, "You do know that officers warn against giving out personal information, right? You could be anyone, anywhere. How do I know you're with the state troopers?" Of course, he says yes, he's aware. And then I said, well send me the information because I'm not giving you information over the phone. And then I realized I'd be giving him my address so I said "Nevermind!" and in a panic, hung up. There are people who leave their business cards on my door for services like "tree removals" and there is no business license number on the card, and to them I say "phooey!!" That has phony contractor and scam written all over it!!! I guess I am on such a soapbox because I feel like I have to be defensive, and untrusting and in turn that makes me feel sad that the world is like this now, and angry and violated, because I feel like this type of thing is infiltrating my happy little life. So there.

Anyway, I did a reverse-phone-number search on the number that popped up from my obscene caller, does he not know that people have caller id? And I found a name and address and phone number, and the works! I have a mind to publish it all online! But I won't. It was probably just a prank and I was random. But you never know, these days, and I say "these days" because I do believe things are different now and that stinks. Maybe it was always like that and I was just not aware of it.