The Jehovah's Witnesses look like realtors in my neighborhood

When I opened my door this morning, I thought I was being visited by Realtors. On my doorstep stood two women in careful outfits, hair coiffed, makeup applied tastefully. Their smiles were endearing, their pastels soothing, and they asked for my husband by name.

I was pretty surprised. Our usual Jehovah's Witnesses are men with terrible dandruff, in rumpled suits, carrying briefcases. I went to my husband's office and he swung his aeron chair around just far enough to tell me "I'm really not available right now."


If you've ever read a book, you know that there's a lot more to it than its cover.  In fact, sometimes "covers" can be misleading in the most irritating ways. When I went back to the door and offered to take the reading material they offered, one woman introduced herself, and started to tell me about the literature.

"This is about current events, " she said. "Violence, an everyday thing. Just today a man was killed in New York. Do you think about these things?"

I took a deep breath, flashing to the fact that I had, in fact, heard Steve Inskeep on my drive to yoga practice this morning, discussing the violent death of a possible terrorist. It had made me feel melancholy and hopeless. Then during yoga, I spent 80 minutes breathing, stretching, and absorbing energy in a beautiful place, supported by caring people.

"That's an interesting question" I said, "and one that I am NOT going to discuss with you," I did NOT say.

"Well, we are Jehovah's Witnesses, and we think about these things.  And we think about what God and the bible say about these things."

She flipped though, showing me some pages, and I looked down at the booklet in her hands.  Then I looked her straight in the eyes. "But, Why?" I wanted to ask.  "You are a friendly, articulate person, with excellent mascara application skills. Good on you for thinking about the world you live in, but why do you need "God" to help you with that?"

I thanked her politely and wished her a good day before closing the door.

The world is easier when appearances match our expectations. Today I was attracted to the cover of a book I did not wish to read. I don't want God or a church in my life. I want to be mindful and aware and think about my daily life experiences without having them colored or interpreted or commented on by a religious belief. If that is a perspective on the world that I am denying myself, so be it.

There are a lot of good books out there. The bible is just one anthology among many.  I've read it, and I have other things to do with my time than talk with a stranger about it.

Now, if you're inviting me to your open house in my neighborhood, that's a different story.