As I was coming out of a grocery store after work one day, and making my way towards my car, I saw two women making a beeline for me.
"Uh oh!" I thought, "I wonder whether they're after money to save the environment or to save a whale."
As the two approached me I began to feel very much like I was a sheep: one walked in front of me, while the other kind of came around behind me, and I found myself herded into position, without an escape route, unless I wanted to clamber clumsily over the car in front of me.
While I was ready with my usual spiel, I was relieved when the two women were just seeking a response to their street poll about whether I had a religious faith of any kind.
It was kind of surreal experience to find myself being shepherded into position, being completely aware of it but not being able to do anything about it. It reminds me of those movies where people find themselves being pushed along by the crowds onto trains or along the street, and find they can't resist the flow.
While I suppose in this instance, I could have looked alarmed, screamed and ran off, the fact was we were standing right in front of my car, so I would have looked rather silly if I'd just leapt into my car and locked my doors. I suppose I could have stuck my fingers in my ears and sang loudly "La la la la la" and pretended they weren't there.
So how do you cope with invasive people coming to your door or salespeople calling you at home on the phone? When people come to my front door and start their spiel, I quickly respond with a smile, say "No thank you," and walk away. A locked security door comes in very handy at that point.
When it comes to phone salespeople, I have a response worked out that drives them a little crazy. I simply say "I'll just see if I can find my husband," and leave the phone off the hook for several minutes until they eventually hang up in disgust.
Sometimes though, I worry about how deeply satisfying I find it to annoy telephone salespeople. ©
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