It Starts When You're Always Afraid

I was mildly chastised this morning for not locking the door on my way out. Never mind that someone else was still in the house; the tradition, before I ever appeared on the scene, has been to lock the door whenever you darken the frame, passing in or out, for any reason, no matter if it's broad daylight and the living room is full of strong men and whisky. "You never know, because people are doing their own thing and not watching the door," I was told. I can play a lot of ball. A lot. But this is too much ball, or will be one day a few months from now. Something to consider as you wonder whether to move into a townhouse -- the fearsome, neverending crime rate and attendant paranoia will suffocate your loved ones.