Last week, Leo had a little fender-bender in the Blockbuster parking lot. The other driver apparently looked to the left and to the right, but never behind her, which is why she backed right into Leo. Even though it was a tiny accident, there was a bit of damage to our car and I knew I'd want to have it fixed, so the police were called. I know most people just exchange information, but the one thing my mom and dad always taught me was that if there's an accident, you always call the police, so that you can make sure that everything gets properly documented by a third party. That way no one can make outlandish complaints later, and everyone is clear on who was at fault.
A couple of days after the accident, when we looked through our mail, Leo had three letters from attorneys. At first I felt that small sense of alarm that one naturally experiences when one sees something legal in the mail. But then I noticed the small "Advertisement" and "Advertising Material" printed in the corner and when we opened the letters, they were all from personal injury attorneys advising Leo that he had rights!
We've received more letters since then, and the question in my mind every time is, "How did they know?" It feels invasive and uncomfortable, a very similar sentiment to what I experienced when I got my first mortgage and mortgage companies were calling and sending me letters that included the exact amount of my mortgage, and when I last applied for health insurance and failed to mention a back injury from several years ago on the application. It had been so long and was so unimportant that I had completely forgotten about it. I received a phone call from the insurance company asking about it, and was surprised that they even knew about the injury at all, since I'd paid out of my own pocket for the treatments and never filed a claim with my insurance company.
We have so little privacy in our world today. Even as I write this, I'm thinking of the irony of writing about how little privacy we have, when I'm also writing about my personal life for all the world to see. Yet there are simple matters that I believe should be private - specifically, financial and health-related matters, but clearly, more than that. But I fear that we'll never be able to go back, so I'm left wondering...what's left in this world that is truly personal and private?
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