I really need to learn how to judge people better.
I guess that I’m the type who always assumes the best and waits for the worst.
I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that everyone is inherently good. In this way, I’m often taken advantage of or put into compromising situations. I wish that I could just trust people, and know that they actually cared about me more than they cared about taking my money, my belongings, or my expertise in the heating, cooling, and ventilation industry. You see, I’ve been single for a long time. A while ago I decided to sign up for an online dating service, and I was very honest when asked about my line of work and daily routines. I detailed my position as a certified HVAC technician and made a few jokes about my air quality obsessions. I never thought much of this information being on my profile, until I started going on dates that turned into routine HVAC service appointments over and over again. Every time I met a nice girl, she would invite me over to her house to make me dinner or coffee, and inevitably I would end up inspecting her air conditioner or furnace for half of the time I was there. It would start innocently enough, with her commenting on the indoor air quality or her expensive energy bills. Soon, she’d be asking my opinion about the existing air handling devices or the quality of her thermostat. Next thing I knew, I would be packing my tools up and walking back to my vehicle, unsure if I just left a date or a free HVAC service appointment. When the girl doesn’t call me back for another six months, at least I know that it was all about heating, cooling, and ventilation maintenance.