What's in your wallet?

What’s in your wallet? If you lost your wallet and someone found it, what would their assumptions be about you? What would they be able to tell about you, because of what they find there?

In my case, they’d see that I’m in my forties, white, am a bit overweight, and live in Granite Falls. My debit card, checkbook and two credit cards, as well as my health and dental insurance cards, would probably lead them to believe that I work, or have income of some sort. I don’t carry any pictures in my wallet, which may make them think that I’m alone, and have no close family or friends. At the very least they’d probably assume that I have no children or grand children. I have several grocery store club cards and a Costco card, I guess that means that I’m frugal, and like to get a good deal.

What about the fact that I have the card of a Snohomish County Sheriff Deputy, a local attorney, and a jeweler? Hmmm, what might that mean? I stole something from the jeweler, got caught by the sheriff deputy, and then contacted the lawyer? No, I doubt anyone would assume that of a middle aged, over-weight white woman, but why not? It could happen (and I’m it sure has)!

Since I live in Granite Falls, they may assume that I’m a Harley riding, hard nosed biker babe (I use the term “babe” very loosely in my case)! I have an enhanced driver’s license; obviously that means I ride to Canada and Mexico often! Probably mostly when the sheriff’s looking for me!

But wait! There’s a gift certificate to a hair salon! Would a Harley riding, hard nosed biker babe have one of those? I guess she has to get the bugs and snarls out of her hair somehow after out-running the cops! She writes a lot of lists – probably has short term memory loss from all the drugs. And then there’s the card for the oral surgeon; more than likely she lost a tooth or two in a brawl.

So, I’m a white, lonely, middle-aged, overweight Harley babe with a few teeth missing, short-term memory loss, in trouble with the law, that likes her hair to look good! Oh, and don’t forget that I’m frugal and have some sort of income. Pretty far fetched, but I could see myself doing that if I found someone’s wallet. It’s more fun and exciting to really reach out to the extreme when you’re making assumptions about someone. Some of what they would see would be fact: White, female, a bit overweight, lives in Granite Falls and has credit cards, insurance, and a bank account. But the rest is strictly assumption.

It’s true that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, but not in my case. I received the Snohomish County Sheriff Card on Memorial Day after my car was broken into and my purse was stolen. Yes, someone truly could find my wallet some day, as it was never recovered. The attorney’s card is one I picked up in case I decide to have him help me with a will someday. The jeweler’s card has the amount it would cost me to have a ring re-sized and altered, written on the back of it. I need to have a tooth pulled, hence the oral surgeon card. And the hair salon gift certificate was a Christmas gift.

From my wallet, no one could tell that I am a mother, and have a very close family. No one would be able to see that I tend to be shy until I get to know someone. They wouldn’t know what an animal lover I am, or that I’m not lonely, even when I’m alone. What you see on the surface is only part of the person, what’s inside is what truly counts.