A short true story inspired by today: I drove home one unseasonably warm day in September after a trip to IKEA, my car (my brand new pumpkin orange car) laden with blankets, pillows, and duvets for the coming winter months. I was the picture of yuppie consumerism. I could feel the judging, non-existent stares of my Spartan hippie parents on the back of my neck. A few blocks from my apartment building, a homeless man stood on the median at a stop light, holding a sign that read, “Do you need some good Karma?” He had a giant yellowish-white beard. He looked like what I imagine Santa Clause will look like when all the children of the world are born too cynical to believe in him. I was three lanes away from him. I sat, hunkered down in my seat, telling myself it really wasn’t my business. I was working four jobs and was pretty poor myself. The people in the lanes closer than him could do something. I didn’t have any cash. Besides, I pay my taxes, so I was already helping to support him. And I was sitting in a fancy new car carrying over a hundred dollars’ worth of winter bedding that I didn’t really need, but definitely wanted. Plus, he looked like Santa Claus. I grabbed the spare snacks I always keep in my glove box (a mini bag of chips and an apple), jumped out of my car and ran over to him through the three lanes of stopped traffic. “I’m sorry sir,” I said. “I don’t have any cash. But I have this, if you’d like it.” I held out the food. He put down his sign and took the food. “Thank you,” he said, quietly. He smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back. The light turned green. The SUV behind me honked impatiently as I ran back through the traffic, jumped into my car, and shifted into drive as quickly as I could, not even bothering to put on my seatbelt. The SUV sped around me as soon as we were clear of the intersection. At the next stoplight, I began to cry. Firstly, because Santa Claus had smiled at me, and it was beautiful. Secondly, because it had been easy: much less daunting than I’d imagined as I’d tried to make myself invisible in the driver’s seat. Yet I still felt selfish. I still had money on my debit card and a roof over my head and good food to eat every night and a family who would help me if I ever got into trouble and a few steady jobs to pay my bills. My post-college poverty was relative. Thirdly, because of the dill-wad in the SUV behind me, who made it so impatiently clear that the homeless man and I were going to make him ten seconds late to his destination. I truly hope he never finds himself homeless, because his lack of basic humanity will surely come back to bite him in the ass if he does. And lastly, because I had been so close to being that dill-wad just half a minute before. When I got home, I replenished the snacks in my glove-box with a few more fruits and small bags of nuts and trail mix. They’re not for me. They’re so that next time I drive past a homeless person, I can conquer just a little bit more of my selfishness. And, hopefully, earn myself a little bit more good Karma. ;)
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 21:49:24 +0000
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