I just had a surreal, or at the very least, a novel experience. A man was walking around our neighborhood with his two kids, knocking on doors and begging. Now, I'm pretty accustomed to the homeless asking for money at intersections or by the grocery store, but this is the first time someone had come to my door. (And to be perfectly frank, I was happier to see him than the strangers who offer me a new religion.) I told him that I couldn't give him money, but I could give him food. He actually took the food, and asked for some water, which makes me think he might actually be legit. It's kind of a hassle to carry around food if all you really want is money for booze. I gave him some dried fruit and nuts because I thought that would transport well. It's the first time in a long while that I've been embarrassed by our lack of prepared food in the house. You can't exactly give someone your leftover summer squash or raw onions from the cupboard, and since we don't ever drink soda or bottled water, I couldn't give the kids anything to take with them - I had to carry out glasses and a pitcher of ice water. You just don't think to lay in a stock of portable foodstuffs for situations like this.
In any case, I'm extra grateful this afternoon for my house, my bed, my food, and most of all, the feeling of security that I'm not even usually aware of.
5 comments:
Wow. it's the sort of thing you may have read about that happened in the past isn't it? i wonder if this is a phenomenon more of us will experience soon. In general, I think it is very hard for anyone to go through something as personal as knocking on doors when they are in need.
interesting, I just read about how burglars will use an excuse to knock on your door, to get the layout of your house. But I suspect two students don't need to worry about being robbed, if it was even that!
Alexis, I definitely thought about ways this might have been a scam. But I only talked to them on the porch and they never came in. If they just wanted to scope out my house, they could have learned as much by standing on the sidewalk and looking at it. And now I've talked to them and spent time with them, so I've noticed them a lot more than I would have noticed a passerby.
As Stef said, that is so powerful. Something we need to really absorb and think about. And as you have said, be grateful for what we have.
I've started to carry around an extra granola bar in my bags and coat pockets to give to those who ask me for food for money. I am thinking I should start carrying around cards to soup kitchens too.
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