The Single Life: Keep yourself in focus — every minute, every day

Good friends of mine are building a home nearby, and every so often, I take my camera over to the site and take pictures of the progress and send them along.

Taking pictures of a construction site never ends up looking like the glossy ones in the sales brochure. I’ve captured several porta-potties, piles of dirt and a handsome dumpster. But there is always progress, and I dutifully record it.

The house sits at the end of a cul de sac. Simply by the lay of the land, the elevation is higher than the other homes on the street. The views are stunning.

I usually go over on a Sunday when there are no workers.

This past Sunday, as I was beginning to round the circle and park, a man working outside yelled at me to slow down.

At that point I had my foot on the brake and stopped the car.

Excuse me?

You were driving too fast. I wanted to meet you. You are always by yourself. Is this going to be your place?

My place. Yes. I lied.

Your house is going to completely block my view. Why do you need such a big place anyway? Where is your husband?

Don’t you yell at me again!

Without further conversation, I walk over to the site and start taking pictures. This time enough of the house has been completed that I can begin using the rear yard to shoot new angles. I also figure that the nosey neighbor has departed since I cannot see him anymore.

I was wrong. The reason I didn’t see him anymore was because he was standing right behind me. I was so caught up in getting some great new information into photos that my attention to where I was blotted out anything else.

Hand over your car keys, lady. Your cell phone, too. (I had left my purse in the car.)

About 50 percent of this story is true. I was alone. It was a quiet Sunday. I was taking pictures.

I’ve made up the bad guy for a point. Mostly likely you have figured it out. It bears repeating.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter how many times you have done something, if you do not pay attention to what is actually going on around you, something totally unexpected might happen.

Stretch all this to leaving the supermarket or walking to your car parked in some mall. You are focused on getting the ice cream home in this heat. You have just bought a super pair of shoes on sale. Your mind is on automatic as you try to remember where you parked your car.

Suddenly there is someone calling after you. Lady, you forgot your glasses/wallet/purse/bag of dog food, and so you have to pause and rapidly go into inventory mode as the person calling towards you draws nearer. It is the middle of the day and all you want to do is get home.

Maybe you did forget the dog food and the person was just being a good soul. Thank goodness for them.

I am not into writing about bad stuff, but it can and does happen. Please pay attention to where you are and exactly what is going on in and around your space that possibly could make you vulnerable.

This is just simple thinking in the moment. If you can actually navigate your car in those mall parking lots, this cautionary tale should be a snap.

Mary Ann Linforth is a Green Valley freelance writer. Contact her at maryannlinforth@aol.com.