(no subject)
Slightly weird thing happened yesterday...
My sister and I had just finished a pilates class with the physio and we were in the chemist next door to it, getting a few things, when a young guy came in and asked the lady who'd just served us whether there was a bulk-bill doctor in the area. She wasn't able to help all that much, although I put my 2 cents in and Janet had some helpful things to say about the bus routes. There wasn't anything definite we could tell him though. He said that he does have a bulk bill doc, it's just that it's a bit of a hike to get there, and he only had $40 on him, hence needing the bulk billing. I asked if he had a concession card, but he said not one that was in date. He decided to go to his normal doctor, and said something like "I'm not feeling too dizzy at the moment."
I found weird my reactions to this guy, who was probably in his late teens, maybe early 20s. When he first came in, I saw him out of the corner of my eye, and had a bit of a negative reaction, that instinctive thing we do (particularly women) when there's something just a little odd about someone coming towards you. But then, weirdly, while I putting my credit card away, I was hearing him speak without looking at him, and something seemed to click with me. He was softly spoken, and I just felt there was something in common there, whether he was a science or SF geek, or just someone who didn't quite fit into the average expectations of society, I don't know. I just felt like he was one of 'us'.
I'm not an expert in the area, but he looked pretty goth, with dark clothes, black hair, long fringe to hide behind, a facial piercing (only one that I noticed). I mentioned to Janet that it really seemed like he was hiding behind his 'look'.
We exited the shop, and something made me look around to see if I could see him. We started going back towards the car, but I stopped and said that for some reason I had to see if I could find him. So we had a quick look around the shops, and then drove around the shops until we found a bus shelter where he was sitting waiting. I hopped out of the car and said "I'm going out on a limb here a bit... but, would you like a lift anywhere?" he said no thanks, and I asked if I could give him any money. He said he was fine, he had enough. I said that I hoped he was feeling better, and he wished me well for the rest of the day. Back in the car and I drove home (and saw a tree fall down beside the road on the Greensborough Highway!)
So, nothing radical happened, it was all just a bit... surprising. I can't work it out. I talked with Dad about it today, and he said that sometimes you just have to go with your gut, which is what I did. I felt like someone was a bit stuck, and I had the means to help them. For some reason I felt a connection, so I didn't just walk away (in fact tracked him down!). I suppose he thinks I'm a bit of a nut-job, or else perhaps I made his day by showing some compassion towards him, even if I didn't end up helping in any practical sense. And now I can't get him out of my head...
My sister and I had just finished a pilates class with the physio and we were in the chemist next door to it, getting a few things, when a young guy came in and asked the lady who'd just served us whether there was a bulk-bill doctor in the area. She wasn't able to help all that much, although I put my 2 cents in and Janet had some helpful things to say about the bus routes. There wasn't anything definite we could tell him though. He said that he does have a bulk bill doc, it's just that it's a bit of a hike to get there, and he only had $40 on him, hence needing the bulk billing. I asked if he had a concession card, but he said not one that was in date. He decided to go to his normal doctor, and said something like "I'm not feeling too dizzy at the moment."
I found weird my reactions to this guy, who was probably in his late teens, maybe early 20s. When he first came in, I saw him out of the corner of my eye, and had a bit of a negative reaction, that instinctive thing we do (particularly women) when there's something just a little odd about someone coming towards you. But then, weirdly, while I putting my credit card away, I was hearing him speak without looking at him, and something seemed to click with me. He was softly spoken, and I just felt there was something in common there, whether he was a science or SF geek, or just someone who didn't quite fit into the average expectations of society, I don't know. I just felt like he was one of 'us'.
I'm not an expert in the area, but he looked pretty goth, with dark clothes, black hair, long fringe to hide behind, a facial piercing (only one that I noticed). I mentioned to Janet that it really seemed like he was hiding behind his 'look'.
We exited the shop, and something made me look around to see if I could see him. We started going back towards the car, but I stopped and said that for some reason I had to see if I could find him. So we had a quick look around the shops, and then drove around the shops until we found a bus shelter where he was sitting waiting. I hopped out of the car and said "I'm going out on a limb here a bit... but, would you like a lift anywhere?" he said no thanks, and I asked if I could give him any money. He said he was fine, he had enough. I said that I hoped he was feeling better, and he wished me well for the rest of the day. Back in the car and I drove home (and saw a tree fall down beside the road on the Greensborough Highway!)
So, nothing radical happened, it was all just a bit... surprising. I can't work it out. I talked with Dad about it today, and he said that sometimes you just have to go with your gut, which is what I did. I felt like someone was a bit stuck, and I had the means to help them. For some reason I felt a connection, so I didn't just walk away (in fact tracked him down!). I suppose he thinks I'm a bit of a nut-job, or else perhaps I made his day by showing some compassion towards him, even if I didn't end up helping in any practical sense. And now I can't get him out of my head...