I recently had an experience that reminded me how vulnerable we can be in our line of work. I was called for a decorating job. The woman was very pleasant on the phone and although the area she lived in was quite a distance from my home, the job had the potential to be quite large and so I accepted it. I mapquested my location and set out for her home on the day of our appointment. Upon exiting the highway, I soon realized that I was not in a very favorable area of town. The litter along the exit ramp alone ( numerous thrown cans of beer ) caused an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I quickly quieted the thoughts in my head to not be so judgemental and continued on my way. I pulled in to a neighborhood of modest homes appearing to have been built in the early 70's. I made my way to the door and rang the bell. I was greeted by a very nice woman, who quickly welcomed me in to her house. As soon as I entered I heard the sound of the door being locked behind my back. I turned and watched the homeowner lock not one, not two, but 5 locks!!! Two on the outside glass door, two deadbolts on the steel door, plus the lock on the handle. I hadn't even put my bags down yet...had no idea who was in the house, but suddenly realized that I would not be able to get out in a hurry if there was a need to. Fortunately, everything was fine. This woman has become one of my best clients and an absolute favorite!
The experience however stuck with me and raised a caution flag. On the drive home that night, I got to thinking about what I would have done had that been a different circumstance. Now I make certain to call my husband to tell him the area that I am working in and provide him the street address. I also leave the address and any contact information I have about the client on a sheet of paper where members of my family can see it. I only walk in to a house with my purse. I make it a habit to not bring any of my work items with me...I tell the homeowner after we have shared greetings that I need to gather my things from my car. Why?? So in case I walk in and have a strong enough feeling that I am not safe...I have an excuse to head back out to my car and leave if necessary. I have decided it is better to be safe then sorry! I realize this is not the usual happy chatter that we enjoy in the rain, but I felt it was an important reminder to all of us that we should take measures to make certain that we remain safe.
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