Outside the store, I sat down on a bench to take another good look at my purchase. The woman who had been nodding approvingly inside the store came over to me and asked with a smile if she could sit next to me. Her friendly demeanor made me say, “Of course, I’d love that!” As she took a seat, she pointed to my watch and said, “That’s a nice souvenir!”
That was the start of a pleasant conversation that lasted over an hour. She spoke candidly about her life, about her work as an educational specialist—for which she had traveled extensively—and how she was no longer able to do so. She was nearly 80 years old and in poor health. I told her that my life had changed a great deal in recent years. That my husband had passed away, that I’d had a tumor behind my eye and now have only one eye, and that I’d come through it all just fine. That I’m very happy to have been able to resume most of my work—in insurance education—again. I don’t just tell anyone about this, but it came naturally because of our mutual, sincere interest and shared passion for education.
We exchanged quite a bit of “privacy-sensitive information.” I’m certain that we won’t violate each other’s privacy—we don’t need legislation for that. Under the new privacy legislation (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR), organizations, companies, foundations, and associations (such as the OOG in OOG Association) are not permitted to store or process personal data unless it is necessary—for example, to maintain membership records. If personal data is to be stored, it must be done carefully so that the privacy of those individuals is not violated. The GDPR does not apply to interactions between private individuals, but private individuals should not violate each other’s privacy either. I certainly won’t do that, but I do often think of that lovely lady and her life story when I check the time. That makes the watch a very special souvenir!
Anita Hol-Bubeck
