A few months ago at the local market I was engaged with young people who said they were university students and they were looking at things on my stall. Another stall holder said she thought they were part of the big shoplifting gang.

I was told that I was very naive and the young man who had been chatting to me was only chatting to me to distract me from noticing the other people. I checked everything on the stall and nothing was missing and I felt annoyed that she thought the only reason someone would be talking to me was to be a decoy because what would a person of a young age be interested in an old woman like me!!

She still didn't believe me and was sure they were part of a big ring. I had no idea what a big ring of shoplifters would be doing in the small country town in a little market.

I know these days it seems that everyone is trying to defraud us especially as you get older and I know I can be naive but I feel really sad that someone couldn't see this was a group of young people out looking at a small market and chatting to the locals.

Nowadays we are also worried about being scammed and rightly so, but does that mean we can't trust anyone. So, someone just talking to us is not having a simple conversation but it's them distracting you so you don't notice other people stealing things from you.

I think that if I see the best in people until proven wrong, I become a kinder and more supportive human.

Moodscopers, what do you think? Are you slow to trust people and quick to see the negative in others or do you trust first? Or are you always sceptical?

Leah

A Moodscope member