Re-posted because of LJ and my semagic programme being a bit wonky
I went to the protest against climate change (or whatever it's called) and failed to cope. I did a little bit of marching, and I kept feeling really violent whenever there was a sudden noise near to me (usually whistles). foibey was really good and kept calming me down, but it all got too much when my bladder was full and some person blew a whistle very loud behind me and I had to work very hard to not punch them. foibey found me a very expensive public toilet (50p!!) and I got the tube towards home.
I stopped off at MacDonalds just outside Warren Street station because I felt really crap and wanted to eat on my feelings. It was lunchtime... Normally I wouldn't eat at MacDonalds because they are such a hateful company, but I just... whatever. Anyway, I sat with this old woman who was being horrible to people. She started off being horrible to me and then was alternately nice and horrible when I passed her umbrella to her when she asked for it. People had been ignoring her because she was a mad old woman and people generally can't cope with that. I can; my mother was one and I've been around plenty of mad people at various day centres and mental institutions over the years.
We discovered that we had a shared love for everyone in the world; she because she was a loony and a Catholic¹, me because I'm a tree-hugging hippy. We told each other that we loved each other. Hey you, yes, you reading this: I love you². She was really lonely. Apparently the MacDonalds manager had thrown her belongings out on the street by the industrial bins as she had lit a cigarette and refused to put it out. She asked me to call her a taxi (she had one of those taxi cards that are similar to my Freedom Pass) and I did, plus waited for it to come so I could help her into it. Her slipper had come off and she was struggling to put it back on so I got down on my knees and put it back on for her. She was also dribbling quite a lot, poor thing, and no-one had got her a serviette when she'd asked for one, so I got her a couple. A middle-aged woman with a child came up to me and gave me her mobile phone number because she was amazed with how I'd dealt with the situation.
All the old woman needed was for someone to listen to her and pass her a couple of things. She gave me a £10 note which I really didn't want to take, but when people offer you something like that they don't usually like it if you say no. Plus she'd been passively begging for a couple of hours; people had been giving her money for looking like she was in need. She asked me to come back to her place; I had to say no. I really can't go back to strangers houses like I used to. She has no children, no family, and, judging by her behaviour, no friends. I was really moved by her. Maybe I could volunteer for a befriending scheme... I do have a fair bit of patience especially when it comes to one to one situations.
We went out to the taxi, and it was no mean feat to get her in it. She didn't want to be helped in physically, but she wasn't really concentrating well on her movements and was struggling a bit plus talking to me/the taxi driver. Ho hum. I left her when she was in her seat, and as I walked past the scarf/bag stall outside the station the vendor told me where her belongings were, and urged me to give them back to her. When I realised that I didn't have to go rummaging in old burger waste I ran back and passed it to her in time. She was very grateful and the vendor was impressed with me.
It may sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here... I probably am. But I wanted to record this.
¹ A particular blend of loony and Catholic... I'm sure there are plenty of other mad Catholics who don't love everyone.
² Try saying 'I love everyone on the planet, therefore I love you as a part of the world's population' to someone who is being really really horrible to you. It is fun (though can be dangerous if you say it to a junkie in the Ark, Edinburgh, who thinks that because you don't have a strong accent you are posh in some way plus you're English and therefore some sort of bstard).
I stopped off at MacDonalds just outside Warren Street station because I felt really crap and wanted to eat on my feelings. It was lunchtime... Normally I wouldn't eat at MacDonalds because they are such a hateful company, but I just... whatever. Anyway, I sat with this old woman who was being horrible to people. She started off being horrible to me and then was alternately nice and horrible when I passed her umbrella to her when she asked for it. People had been ignoring her because she was a mad old woman and people generally can't cope with that. I can; my mother was one and I've been around plenty of mad people at various day centres and mental institutions over the years.
We discovered that we had a shared love for everyone in the world; she because she was a loony and a Catholic¹, me because I'm a tree-hugging hippy. We told each other that we loved each other. Hey you, yes, you reading this: I love you². She was really lonely. Apparently the MacDonalds manager had thrown her belongings out on the street by the industrial bins as she had lit a cigarette and refused to put it out. She asked me to call her a taxi (she had one of those taxi cards that are similar to my Freedom Pass) and I did, plus waited for it to come so I could help her into it. Her slipper had come off and she was struggling to put it back on so I got down on my knees and put it back on for her. She was also dribbling quite a lot, poor thing, and no-one had got her a serviette when she'd asked for one, so I got her a couple. A middle-aged woman with a child came up to me and gave me her mobile phone number because she was amazed with how I'd dealt with the situation.
All the old woman needed was for someone to listen to her and pass her a couple of things. She gave me a £10 note which I really didn't want to take, but when people offer you something like that they don't usually like it if you say no. Plus she'd been passively begging for a couple of hours; people had been giving her money for looking like she was in need. She asked me to come back to her place; I had to say no. I really can't go back to strangers houses like I used to. She has no children, no family, and, judging by her behaviour, no friends. I was really moved by her. Maybe I could volunteer for a befriending scheme... I do have a fair bit of patience especially when it comes to one to one situations.
We went out to the taxi, and it was no mean feat to get her in it. She didn't want to be helped in physically, but she wasn't really concentrating well on her movements and was struggling a bit plus talking to me/the taxi driver. Ho hum. I left her when she was in her seat, and as I walked past the scarf/bag stall outside the station the vendor told me where her belongings were, and urged me to give them back to her. When I realised that I didn't have to go rummaging in old burger waste I ran back and passed it to her in time. She was very grateful and the vendor was impressed with me.
It may sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here... I probably am. But I wanted to record this.
¹ A particular blend of loony and Catholic... I'm sure there are plenty of other mad Catholics who don't love everyone.
² Try saying 'I love everyone on the planet, therefore I love you as a part of the world's population' to someone who is being really really horrible to you. It is fun (though can be dangerous if you say it to a junkie in the Ark, Edinburgh, who thinks that because you don't have a strong accent you are posh in some way plus you're English and therefore some sort of bstard).