God Bless You!
Lately in the mornings, I wake up and think: nope. No reason to get out of bed again today. Thank God for Loki, or I could literally stay in bed all day.
Earlier this week, I had my blood drawn and I was nearly giddy. Something to do! Of course, this was not a fun experience, and I have one scraped arm and one bruised arm to show for it – even three days later. But it did give me a reason to set an alarm!
On my way home from the blood draw, I saw a homeless man on the corner. He’s probably not thrilled with his days, either, but I refuse to give money to homeless people. I don’t want to support their drug habits. However, I always carry snacks in the car, and I see no reason not to share snacks.
I reached into my snack bag and found a bag of Fritos. The kids don’t really like Fritos, so I rolled down my window and held them out to the man. He hurried over to the window as the light was changing and traffic was starting to move.
“Thank you so much!” he said, his grin showing me his many missing teeth. “God bless you!”
“You’re welcome!” I hollered back. “Have a nice day!” And then I pressed down on the gas pedal and made my left turn.
As I pulled away, it hit me: I wasn’t wearing my mask.
Since I was alone in my car, and wasn’t planning on being near any people, I had taken off my mask. And the homeless guy sure wasn’t wearing a mask.
My first thought, quite honestly, was: What if I infected him? He’s not likely to have any resources for health care, and he’s very likely to have underlying conditions.
I tried to be rational about it.
Going out as little and as infrequently as I do, even with Dylan and Bill holding jobs outside the house, it’s highly unlikely that I’ve contracted coronavirus. And it’s equally unlikely that I’ve given it to the homeless man by providing him with Fritos.
But this is what my life has come to: I can’t even share a bag of Fritos with a man who has no food – at least, not without worrying. That six-second exchange worried me for the whole ride home.
And then I thought: REALLY?!? If THIS is how you’re going to give/get coronavirus, then so be it!
If being kind is my downfall – especially such a brief, minor kindness – then that’s just fine with me.
Honestly. This is not something I am going to change.
But maybe next time, at least, I’ll remember to put on a mask before opening my window.