True or False

 Yesterday, I got a call from someone who said "they" would be around that afternoon to clean my fireplace. My response was that this was the first I had heard of it and my fireplace, that I use seldom, did not need cleaning because it had been done last fall. His answer was "but we recommend it be cleaned annually". I thanked him and said that, yes, as he suggested if I "changed my mind" I would call him back. Instead, I went online and learned that unless you use your fireplace a good deal, as perhaps your principle form of heating, it is unlikely to accumulate dust and so on to need cleaning every year. The article suggested perhaps up to three years would do. Mine, in the old building I inhabit, had likely never been cleaned because it is largely decorative since there is heating in the floors. What I found interesting about this experience, is how one is to find the facts about dealing with even minor situations such as this one. When I went on line, there were fifteen ads for fireplace cleaners before I got to one that gave me the facts without the commercial hype, about the job. And furthermore, I wondered how many elders without computer knowledge, would have gone on the seller's word without checking to see if she wanted to spend a hundred or more dollars to have a clean fireplace "cleaned".  But one incident like this sets me to realize that "out there" unscrupulous individuals make their living taking advantage of elderly folks or those not of sharp mind, who would be doling out their sparse cash unnecessarily. My generation, if we must divide living persons into categories, is a rather kindly one, given to trust. Trust is a valuable commodity that seems to be couched in colourful but often fictional verbiage rather than truth, in commerce, these days. One must be cynical and check carefully before shelling out money because a business says you "need " their services. Fortunately, there are organizations such as government senior centers where that kind of advice and information is reliable and can be trusted. Advice from private individuals you trust is something earned out of personal experience with another. Even then, at times, the trust is betrayed. The long story, is to trust your own instincts and resources that you know are reliable. If you don't have access to a computer with its wide based authority, makes seeking information tricky. If I had my way, I would want every elder to buck up and get a computer of some sort and learn how to use it. Excuses such as, oh it's not for me, it's for young people. Nonsense! If you lived all your years doing what you did, you have already proved that you can learn and that it's your own stubborn mind-set that prevents you from learning. Open up your mind and your life and get going folks, you are the only one standing in your way. Sit down with a pal who isn't fixated on using impressive, unnecessary, cyber blab, but who speaks plain English or whatever your tongue is, and get going on it. Using a computer will banish loneliness and isolation because the world will be at your feet. It may also protect you from such people as the fireplace cleaner who gladly takes your money, money you can spend on a nice little computer and the time to catch up to the real world.