This evening the door bell rang. This is fairly rare at our house but now we have a door bell-- at our old place it would ring randomly because of a short circuit so we just unplugged it and never really missed it. In our neighborhood now I think we will get more kids selling stuff for school, sports, etc-- I suppose that is a downside to a family-friendly area. Tonight it was not a Girl Scout but a gentleman trying to advertise smart home security systems. These systems can unlock your door from your phone or use a camera to see who is at your front door when you aren't there. We weren't interested but we made the mistake of opening the door. I suppose that is a good part of the advertising-- one of the systems would insure that you knew when door-to-door salesmen are there.
He started his spiel with, " I'm sure you have seen the ads for our company on TV." I didn't bother telling we don't watch TV since we are too cheap to get cable. "Most security systems out on the market are using old technology where you have to press numbers on a control panel inside the home. Kind of like when everyone had flip phones 15 years ago." Or still do have their trusty flip phones. "With this system you can unlock your door from your phone or let a family member in while you are away. " I did the same thing this weekend since we still have the realtor's lockbox on the door that we don't know the combination to get off. I texted my parents the code from my phone and they opened the door. "It can even open your garage door with the swipe of your phone." Now that would be a trick since our garage door is broken needing a new circuit board so the only way to open it is by hand right now. "It would give you peace of mind that your home is protected from intruders." The most questionable safety event that we have had occurred is having some salesman off the street that we have never met come into our living room. "The system hooks in with your smoke detectors and notifies the fire department of any issues." Meanwhile I am thinking of dinner that is in the oven burning while I talk to him. "We could put sensors on all the windows and doors and you would be notified if there is a breach in the system." Currently every window and door in the house is wide open since it is beautiful outside. This is also why we couldn't pretend we weren't home and not answer the door. And they are open a good portion of the time so that we don't have to use our programmable thermostat. "Your home insurance costs would be lower with the system and your valuables are protected." As we are standing in a room without any furniture that contains only houseplants, a bag full of athletic training supplies, and a bookshelf full of library book sale purchases. What valuables? At this point I am also hoping he doesn't see all of our undergarments hanging to dry on the back porch since we don't use our dryer. "We offer all of this for less than your monthly phone bill. What is your average monthly phone bill?" Twenty dollars. We have a budget smartphone and a flip phone. "So it would be a little more, about $70/month but we would cover the instillation and set up fee if you are one of the first three homes in your area to put our sign in your front yard." My thought is how much for just the sign to make it look like we have a system, or better yet could we sneak the sign out of one of the neighbor's yard if they get the system and put it in our yard?
We tried to turn him down gently and he gave us a few more offers. He had just moved to Kansas from Florida since he liked his summer job here so much and had only been in the area a few weeks. A young guy trying to make a living from door to door sales. Arthur and I would never make it if we had to rely on sales. Visiting with him did make us consider security. What do we have to protect? Nothing that the unlikely chance of us loosing it would lead us to shell out $850 a year. I do like feeling safe which is why I always lock the door and usually don't open it to strangers. I like feeling secure financially, mitigating risks with careful planning, taking safety precautions with traveling, trying to prevent injury or illness, etc. However, in today's world do we put to much stock in protecting our stuff and ourselves? As a homeowner I am more aware of "protecting our investment in this house". This reminded me of Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Are we investing in true security?
What are we saying we are treasuring with how we are living?
Omnia Vincit Amore.
No comments:
Post a Comment