Yesterday was priceless
So yesterday some guy thought I was homeless. To be fair he did see me washing up in the bathroom of home depot, but that was because I was super dirty. I was about 6:30 pm I had been working for six hours in a warm dirty place while wearing a hoody, to keep as much filth from touching my skin as possible. My hair was a tangled, frizzy, sweaty mess and had lots of crap in it, possibly including some rat shit. My father stops at home depot for a few things and tells me to go wash up. So I head over to the bathroom and start rubbing soap all over my hands, face and forearms; scrubbing very hard to get all the crap off of me.
That's when this guy comes in. He sees me in all my dirty glory. My faded, slightly torn old hoody covered in dirty and dust, my jeans also covered in dirt, dust and other random bits of dry crap and most importantly of all. Me washing my dirty face in the mens bathroom taking the closet thing you can get to a bath with all your clothes still on. He is a well dressed older professional complete with stylish expensive trench coat for the cool, mysterious, aloof and well off douce-bag look that everyone seems to be so fond of nowadays. He stops as he enters and looks me over. Surprised and obviously considering if he should just walk out and wait till he gets home to tend to business. Finally he says something "I think there are some shelters near by..."
I am totally caught off guard by this. I reply "what?" and then remembering what I was doing and how I must look like I quickly add "Oh, I was just washing some stuff off. I was working in an attic." he replies as he heads into the stall "of course, I was just saying that if you needed it there is help." "Yeah thanks." I commented as I went back to washing the soap off my face.
We said nothing else as I finished washing up and left while he unloaded his mostly gas filled colon into the toilet. To me it was a funny little snippet and a cute story, but afterwards I started thinking what if i really had been homeless?
This guys is probably thinking he is some great crusading do gooder, a modern day good Samaritan or at least a really decent guy. He really didn't do anything though. He didn't tell me where those shelters were and honestly I doubt that there are any in or near a wealthy town like East Brunswick. What would he of actually accomplished by telling me there was help if I needed it? He didn't say where the help was, who was going to help me and he certainly didn't offer any himself. It would be like me going to some dumb struck guy in the street that was cluchting the bleeding stump that his hand used to be attached to as he stares at the severed part of himself laying on the ground infront of him and saying "There is a hospital near by." and then feeling really good about saving a life. I can already see flippant hero movie reply line
"Gee thanks, that's really helpful. how about picking up my hand, calling an ambulance or you know driving me to that hospital?"
Now I'm not saying that he should of ignored his empathy and left someone in what he felt was distress. Just that if you are going to open your mouth and try to help someone, you should at least say something actually helpful.
That's when this guy comes in. He sees me in all my dirty glory. My faded, slightly torn old hoody covered in dirty and dust, my jeans also covered in dirt, dust and other random bits of dry crap and most importantly of all. Me washing my dirty face in the mens bathroom taking the closet thing you can get to a bath with all your clothes still on. He is a well dressed older professional complete with stylish expensive trench coat for the cool, mysterious, aloof and well off douce-bag look that everyone seems to be so fond of nowadays. He stops as he enters and looks me over. Surprised and obviously considering if he should just walk out and wait till he gets home to tend to business. Finally he says something "I think there are some shelters near by..."
I am totally caught off guard by this. I reply "what?" and then remembering what I was doing and how I must look like I quickly add "Oh, I was just washing some stuff off. I was working in an attic." he replies as he heads into the stall "of course, I was just saying that if you needed it there is help." "Yeah thanks." I commented as I went back to washing the soap off my face.
We said nothing else as I finished washing up and left while he unloaded his mostly gas filled colon into the toilet. To me it was a funny little snippet and a cute story, but afterwards I started thinking what if i really had been homeless?
This guys is probably thinking he is some great crusading do gooder, a modern day good Samaritan or at least a really decent guy. He really didn't do anything though. He didn't tell me where those shelters were and honestly I doubt that there are any in or near a wealthy town like East Brunswick. What would he of actually accomplished by telling me there was help if I needed it? He didn't say where the help was, who was going to help me and he certainly didn't offer any himself. It would be like me going to some dumb struck guy in the street that was cluchting the bleeding stump that his hand used to be attached to as he stares at the severed part of himself laying on the ground infront of him and saying "There is a hospital near by." and then feeling really good about saving a life. I can already see flippant hero movie reply line
"Gee thanks, that's really helpful. how about picking up my hand, calling an ambulance or you know driving me to that hospital?"
Now I'm not saying that he should of ignored his empathy and left someone in what he felt was distress. Just that if you are going to open your mouth and try to help someone, you should at least say something actually helpful.