(Posted originally on Facebook and Instagram on 8.9.19)
My big fat bleeding liberal heart hurts a bit today.
This morning I was at a Starbucks killing time before an appointment and there were two guys experiencing homelessness outside. They were sharing a cigarette together and by observation only, it was fairly clear to me that one of them had significant mental illness and drug addiction.
The men got kicked out by the barista for smoking in a non-smoking zone and one of the men — the one that didn’t appear to be under the influence of anything — approached me and said, “Ma’am, I’m not trying to bother you but if a homeless person asks you for money, don’t give it to them. Ask them if they are hungry. Most of the time they won’t spend the money on drugs, but some will. Just ask if they are hungry, and if they say yes, get them some food.”
“I usually do that, actually,” I said. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m not, really,” he said.
Cynical me assumed he was going to ask for money, so to avoid that I offered him my grapes and apples from my Starbucks box. “I hate apples,” he said. And when he smiled he was missing his front teeth.
“Hey, I do, too!” I said, and we laughed.
I told him I had an appointment and couldn’t chat any more (because these kind of folks know I’m a talker and next thing you know half an hour has passed), so he thanked me for the offer, introduced himself by name, and walked off.
Drug addiction is often a partner of mental health, and just because someone has taken a different path doesn’t mean we shouldn’t treat them humanely. Just because these people need a place to sleep doesn’t mean we should feel bothered by them. Is there a portion of the homeless population that includes crime? Of course. There’s a portion of every population that includes crime.
Some of these people just need someone to offer them food. And if they don’t like the apples, that’s just the way it is. I don’t like them, either. We’re all flesh and bone, and we all deserve respect.
This just made my day. Thanks!