Did I Just Purchase Kindness?

Today I had a very simple encounter with a stranger. I do not know his story, or even his name. But I do know that he doesn’t have a home.

I first met this man about two weeks ago. I was bundled up against the freezing wind walking the block or so from my company’s parking lot to the office building. I stopped at the street to wait for traffic to clear and I saw him. He was wrapped in layers upon layers and I remember thinking “at least he’s warm.” I looked down at my $4 coffee and my dressy shoes and desperately wanted to cross the street and make it inside the building before he got close.

That didn’t happen. By the time traffic cleared and I ran across, he was close enough to call out to me. He called my “lady” and his voice was gruff. I knew I couldn’t just avoid him. I rarely ever carry cash, and for a second I considered just handing him my coffee. I’m always very cautious if giving money anyways, you always here that it More than likely just goes to drugs.

When I turned to him, he looked…tired. That was all. Just very worn and he leaned against the wall of the building as he asked me for a cigarette. I apologized since I don’t smoke and he said “that’s ok.” Then he asked me if I had anything I could spare to help him out. I wasn’t sure. Then I remembered that I had one single dollar bill floating in the bottom of my purse. It’s just a dollar, but its all I have on me. He said that was ok. I dug it out and handed it to him, apologizing again for not having more to help. He thanked me and resumed walking.

I thought about this and wondered if I had just helped a man down on his luck to get a sandwich or if I had just fed into an addiction that had landed him here in the first place. A friend said no matter, my intentions were good an therefore I had just done a good deed. Another said I had been tricked. I chalked it up to nothing other than being a dollar short than I was 5 minutes ago and that was the end of it.

But when I left my office this morning and was making the walk back to the parking lot, he was there again. I watched him go into a business and was close enough to hear him chatting. He emerged a moment later with a can of Coca Cola in his hand. I have a slight nod and smile to him as we passed and that’s web it happened. He smiled back and me and said hello. He still looked tired, but not as much as last time. And he told me to have a great day. I thanked him and wished him the same, and he offered me the can he was holding. I thanked him again but told him I would pass, and he simply said “ok,” opened it, took a drink, and went on his way. And I couldn’t help but smile.

This man who has only what’s on his back was willing to give me his drink. Was it because I have him a dollar? Did my dollar help him feel better or put him in a better mood? Did he even remember that we had talked before? I have no idea. But either way, he made me feel better and that might be one of the best dollars I’ve ever spent.