(Thinking out loud, digitally.)
Yesterday it was cold. It was rainy. It was exhilarating, unless you had to nowhere to take cover indoors in which case it was nasty. I saw a homeless guy on the sidewalk between the Rite Aid and the Staples store trying to wrap himself in a duvet, or maybe it was a sleeping bag.
When I got out of Ralphs he was no longer there. Instead, he was huddled in a parking space still fussing with the sleeping bag. I had an extra umbrella in the car and thought, “What the heck,” knowing full well many people are of unsound mind and could be dangerous.
He took the umbrella but didn’t open it. Instead he said something I couldn’t hear. I asked him to repeat it but still couldn’t hear as he showed me a glass tube. Was he asking me if I could also spare a meth hit?
I have no idea, as my experience with meth is pretty much restricted to watching Breaking Bad. I was only minimally skeeved, and not sorry I offered the umbrella, but the whole thing got me wondering what I might do next time, and how we protect ourselves and still keep our humanity.
Most likely I will continue on a case-by-case basis.