I was just speaking about people that end up living on the fringes of society, in the previous blog, and how you should protect yourself from ending up in such a situation. So, I thought it was karmically interesting when I bumped into this one lady I have observed this AM.
 
I may have mentioned her in the past. But, I’ve seen her around for a year or so. She normally hangs out in this one parking lot I frequent, as it is tied to this Starbucks I go to several days of the week. Anyway, she walks around asking people for money. Okay…
 
She’s of Indian descent. One day I asked her, and she said she was originally from New Delhi.  Like I told her, me, I’ve spent a certain about of time there…
 
Anyway, she’ s a curious persons, at least in my mind. I mean, what’s her backstory?  I always feel uncomfortable saying this but where I live is considered an affluent neighborhood. And, she’s around everyday; begging… Not like a monk would do. More like a homeless person. She’s a fixture. I see her a lot and I’ve spoken with her from time to time.
 
The thing is, she lives in this neighborhood. I discovered that the other day when I saw her, and the son she has spoken about, going into this one residence. If you live here, why beg? I mean how can you afford to live in this neighborhood via begging?
 
It was a rainy day today, and I was going into my local CVS. For those of you who may not know, or for the annals of history, CVS is a drug store. There she was standing under the awning, out in front. She tried to sell me a hat she had in a bag. “No thanks. I don’t carry any cash.” “Can you help me out with some food?” “Sure. What do you want?”  “Anything cheap. Like something from the bagel store.” “Of course!”
 
As we walked over to the nearby bagel shop, I asked her about her husband. She told me that he will not help her. That she must take care of herself. She must find her own way to eat. Wow!
 
I asked if he was also from India. She said he was. “Oh, I see.” She knew that I knew.
 
Here’s the thing. And, this is a thing that is not right. Nor is it conscionable. Nor am I being ethnocentric, racist, or anything like that here. But, in India, people are forced into marriages. I won’t go into all of that. But, as is well documented, many/most marriages are arranged. And sometimes, the couple is just not well suited. Nor, as is apparently the case with this woman, is her man a true man. From this, sometimes things can get messy.
 
Now, here’s the thing. I don’t know the deep truth about this woman, her son, her husband, or her situation. In fact, I don’t want to know. I avoid messy lives at all costs. I don’t want to get sucked in to anything negative. But, what I was happy to do, was to be able to buy her something to eat. Because, if she had food at home, I can’t imagine she would be out in the rain begging for money or food.
 
In the bagel shop, one that I used to grab bagels from quite frequently, pre-pandemic, I asked her what she wanted.  “Anything you want.” She was very adamant with the young man at the counter that it could have no meat. I mean, sure, she’s a Hindu, so a vegetarian. She decided on an avocado bagel sandwich type thing. I whipped out my phone. Paid. And I was out of there. “Good luck,” I exclaimed. “Happy Diwali,” as we are just a few days away from it. I wonder if I’ll see her at the temple on Diwali?
 
The thing is, everyone lives their own drama. You, me, everyone… Some are just more melodramatic than others.
 
Think about your life—think about you. What if you were in a country with no family, only a husband that doesn’t take care of you, and a child. No money. No job. What would you do to survive? That’s a hard question and a harder answer.
 
Again, I don’t know the truth about this lady or her situation. Nor do I really want to. The one thing I can say is that, I was glad I could be of help, even if it only meant buying her an avocado bagel sandwich in a place where she can take a few moments and steps back from the begging, while sitting at table inside the café, hopefully enjoying her sandwich, out of the rain.
 
Always, do what you can to help, when you can help. Because you never know when you might be the one needing that helping hand.