I bought a pair of tennis shoes online the other day and was waiting for the doorbell to ring announcing the arrival of my new pair of Adidas. I know, what was I thinking? Adidas? Who wears Adidas? Maybe they were on sale, who knows?
I checked the tracking number of my order on the UPS site earlier and knew my shoes were in the truck, in transit. Technology is so great.
Where are you UPS? Time seemed to slow. Water wouldn't boil. Time stopped. OMG, could anything possibly be worse?
Ding Dong.
Eureka!
Cats dive for cover. I put on pants and head for the door. My UPS man is about to experience that all powerful feeling, the feeling of giving and I can't wait.
Only it wasn't the UPS man. It was a poor person.
Now normally, I would have looked out a window before opening the door. If I had, I would have seen a 50 year old man in rags knocking on my door and living right in the middle of Houston, Tx, I simply would not answer the door.
My first thought after opening the door was, "please don't kill me", followed very closely by, "you're not the UPS man". By the time thought number three had time to form I had assessed the situation and knew that this person was not a threat. He was just very poor.
So yay for me for overriding thought number one, but then I have thought number four. Do I give him money and assure a return visit, or do I mumble something under my breath and close the door? I give money to people all the time on street corners. When I'm in my air conditioned car. With my doors locked. And then I drive away.
I give money to charity, usually with a credit card. There was that thing where you could text a special number to give money to Haiti.
I did that.
So what in the hell is this ACTUAL poor person doing on my doorstep and what am I supposed to do about it? I thought giving money to charities was supposed to insulate me from this sort of thing.
Have we actually come to the point where poor people are knocking on doors to ask for money?
The man asks, "Can I wash your car?". Um, what?
"I'll wash your car for 2 dollars"
I looked down the drive and sitting at the end was an old plastic garbage can on wheels, various cleaning materials and a hose were fixed to the outside of his portable car wash.
I was mortified. Had I just done what I thought I'd done? I had prejudged this man from his appearance to be a beggar when actually he was just trying to make an honest buck? I don't do that! But I just had.
I see the man walking the neighborhood occasionally with his car wash in tow and it's a good reminder to me of my own prejudices. I guess we all have them, but I have a little less than I did yesterday.
And my car is clean.