I am with you on the alien theory, I never bought into it, nor did it impact my life in any way. I had no reason to make them a part of my life. I grew up much like you and stayed pretty much that way.
The whispers and suggestions they make... while some are interesting, I have to wonder if it were true, why the big secret/coverup? I lived in New Mexico and Arizona and there is some strange stuff out there in the big, empty desert. There is also a lot of under-the-radar military movement/training/testing out there.
I connect the dots and the stories.
For me, it really isn't going to matter until it actually happens. It honestly doesn't impact my life one way or the other whether they do exist or not. It also doesn't really change what I believe. It's often fun to dive down that rabbit hole every now and then though.