Having The Wrong Address.

       A dear friend of ours asked if my wife got her card. Come to find out, she had an old address which is why we didn't get her card. But it got me to thinking how this sort of thing could easily play into the hands of some of our fondest politicians. A politician could ask his supporters if they had received his special letter of thanks. When his supporter said no, he could easily just mention some fictitious address as the culprit. He then could profoundly apologize and ask for the correct one.
       Why would  a politician want someone's address? Surely you jest. But it's not just politicians who could profit from this ploy. Used car salesmen, tax collectors and a whole host of people could  be using this avenue of address fishing. Of course it wouldn't be long before the idea would become over-used and thus lose it's value as a tactic of deceit.
       I must say, honesty is indeed the best policy. Especially when the alternative is so openly disingenuous. So just what should one say when in a group of friends and acquaintances who are all asking if one member has received their cards? An oft used excuse is "I didn't realize you were ill." Of course this is only acceptable if you live far, far out of town or have been out of town. Another way to handle this embarrassment is to quietly and unobtrusively slip away from that group.
       Of course a politician has a perfectly acceptable excuse by merely claiming he'd been so busy saving the world from (enter important issue here) that he hadn't gotten the word. The one person you never, ever want to hear say they didn't know you were ill, is your employer. I mean, can you imagine, you were out sick for two weeks and your boss didn't even miss you? He may begin to think about how necessary you are to the company. Perhaps the only person who might be more hurtful to hear say that, would be your spouse.