Sometimes incidents in our lives teach us a bit about where we are in life. When things are not planned and we respond to certain situations in certain ways it might reveal a bit about how we think. Sound bland enough?
I’m sure you want to read about me confronting the meter reader. Well, I did. Today. And it wasn’t something I planned to do. And I think I learned something from what happened.
I saw him a few houses up, sort of behaving how a meter reader would behave. Going up driveways, coming back out, walking across driveways – you get the point. But when he got closer, it was something I didn’t see that made me take notice.
I noticed that he didn’t have any visible ID. So I said, “You work for a utility?” “Yeah, First Energy meter reader,” he replied. It actually crossed my mind to NOT believe him, so I asked him if he had any ID on him. He very politely unzipped his jacket and pulled out a lanyard with his ID attached.
I thanked him, half apologized, and assured him it was nothing personal. He said it was not a problem. “Happens all the time,” he assured me.
Hmmmmmm……
Why did I do that? I have a couple hunches. And they’re telling. Here are my best guesses as to why this happened:
1. I’ve heard and seen enough negative stories.
When you read or hear about seemingly unsuspecting people finding themselves in unsafe situations very quickly, it makes you think twice.
2. As a parent I’ve become much more aware of people in our neighborhood.
I’m not sure the “It couldn’t happen here” line is really gonna cut it when it comes to child abductions. Last spring a young girl was assaulted by someone appearing to be in a position of similar authority. I’ll be respectful, but I’ll be aware.
3. I’m willing to admit we live in a higher crime area.
You can look up statistics and it’s very simple: crime is more likely in our neighborhood than others. That doesn’t mean we’ve been direct victims in the 13 years we’ve lived here. It also means that somewhere in my subconscious a random ID check of a meter reader is not out of line.
Think. When you react to unknown people in certain ways, do you know why?
Act. If you are acting on hunches, be respectful but direct.