“Why are you nice to me?”

Was what the homeless guy that I always use to pass on my way to Union at the end of the day once asked me.

My rule about giving to homeless people is – no money – but I will give small amounts of food – crackers, cookies, candy, whatever I have on that day in my bag.

This particular homeless dude was an alcohol steeped little man, about 5 ft. 2 at the most. He probably endeared himself to me because of the alcoholism that has haunted my family for generations, so I would give him something to eat whenever I saw him.

Once he was yelling incoherently to anybody and nobody. That day I had bought him two candy bars and when I stopped in front of him and dropped them next to his side – he started cursing at me that he didn’t want anything! I told him “I don’t care if you eat those or trade them up for something else….but I am not taking them back!” and I continued on my walk.

So the next time I saw him, he was a bit sober, and that is when he said “Why are you nice to me?”

I stopped, turned to him and said “Because you are one of God’s creatures.”

In hindsight I probably meant to say “creations”……..

Let me just say he took the whole “creatures” thing a little badly.

I tried for about 10 seconds to explain to him what I meant and then thought that I might be better off fleeing from his crescendoing rampage about me calling him a creature.

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