Am I too friendly?

I am generally a happy and kind person. I hold doors for strangers. I smile at passers-by. I do the obligatory wave when someone lets me into traffic. Hell, I have even honk less at terrible drivers compared to when I lived in Chi-town and my horn was used about as much as my blinker. For the most part, my happy disposition has served me well but I recently had a peculiar thing happen to me at Target.

I was at the Superstore the other day after work, bound and determined to finish my Christmas shopping. I had my list in hand and cart moderately full when I entered the creative activity aisle. I was looking for something for my 4 year old niece...wanting something educational and fun (I know, I am that aunt) when I heard an "excuse me." A nice woman, probably a few years older than myself (at least I think I looked younger) started small talk about Christmas shopping, etc. I thought nothing of it.

See I grew up with a mother who would (and will) talk to everyone about anything. To this day, we can be in line at a store, minding our own business and she will tell anyone within earshot what she's buying and why. Sometimes she'll share where she's from, what she does for a living as well as how well she does it. I understand that sometimes, there are those moments in line when the cashier is taking too long or patrons have a shared experience and its normal to chat for a second and then go on with life. My mom doesn't' wait for those moments, she chooses to make them. For a long time this bothered me. I'd be lying that on occasion it still does ("Mom, that stranger does not care that you were born in Hartford and can drive in the city better than most people.") She can talk to anyone at anytime about anything.

But I digress...

So, I was not totally shocked when this stranger struck up a conversation with me initially about the holidays, recent moves to NC (she used to live in IL too), and where we were employed. Initially I thought, hey this is how friendships begin. Maybe I am making a new friend...until she started asking me a little too much about my employment.

Then it happened...out came the business card and the inquisitive question of, "Are you interested in becoming involved with an up and coming group of young entrepreneurs?" Give me your email and I will send you a short video to check out. I must have still been dreaming about my new friend and the many adventures we would have checking out pottery shops, going shopping, etc because I heard myself giving her my REAL email address. I was still in a daze when she said "Happy Holidays" and skipped away with my email address in hand. I gazed down at her card and under her name it read"Private Franchising." What the hell does that mean? I'm a social worker, not a business major.

I forgot all about my "almost" new friend until today when I received an email from her that read:
It was nice meeting you the other day! As I mentioned I am sending you some details on our company expansion! The first step will be for you to watch a 6 minute video I have on my website. It will not work on a smart phone, so you will need to be directly connected to the Internet. The video is not designed to teach anyone what we do, or how we do it. What the video does is cover some of the concepts behind what we are putting together. We use the video as a screening tool. It helps to separate the people that are just curious from the people who are actually looking for a way to make extra money. After you watch the video, email me back, and let me know if this is something you are still interested in and we can get into the details.

Of course I was curious so I watched the video that told me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about what she did but encouraged me to attend a information session. Um, no thanks lady! Apparently, just viewing her message prompts a follow up email about how grateful she is that I watched the video and how I should contact her about setting up a time to meet. Seriously? Now she wants to have coffee with me.

Needless to say I will NOT be attending an information session and I hope that she hasn't sold my email address to other pyramid schemers out there.

This is a perfect example of me not following one of the simple rules that Miss Horton* told me in Kindergarten...NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS.

(*Side note-Mrs Horton was the coolest teacher ever. She only had 1 and a half arms yet she could tie my shoes. My mother says I used to sit there in awe of her when she would help me get my shoes on.)