I’m never sure when to be cynical anymore

August 16, 2006 · 0 comments

A young man showed up at my door this afternoon – clean cut, decently dressed and pretty well-spoken. He was part of a “positive career group” – of course, I knew immediately he was selling magazine subscriptions.  We chatted for a while and I was impressed by his ambition.  Was he being honest with me or does he have a story for every house he stops at? Does it really matter?  People these days are so afraid of being scammed or conned some way. I just felt like he deserved a chance.  Of course, he could be hanging around with this group and be some rich kid from the suburbs.  Or he could really be from the inner city trying for a better life.  And even though I know that selling subscriptions won’t get him into Harvard, maybe it’ll get him a little further on his path in life.  I mean, assuming the subscriptions are legit, what’s the difference if it’s him or a girl or boy scout stopping at my door? Nothing.  Although I didn’t buy anything from him, I did enjoy chatting with him and hope he makes something out of his life.

On the other hand, the boys and dog and I were at Target the other day and as we were getting all loaded into the car, a woman approaches me from the car parked right next to us and asks if I can help her get home with some money for gas. She says they were at the ice rink and her husband forgot his wallet and now they didn’t have enough gas to get home.  Was she legit? Highly doubtful. First, why would you drive half an hour from your house to go ICE SKATING in the middle of the summer with only enough money to get in the rink in our pocket? And now, this is going to sound highly judgmental, but they certainly didn’t look the ice skating type.  Around here, they’re mostly rich kids, as it’s an expensive sport. But hey, I could’ve been wrong about them, too.  After I turned her down, she jumped in the car and they drove away. Perhaps they should consider getting as close to home as possible instead of lurking in parking lots?  Hmmmm….

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