Live and Let Live?

 Good morning,

I made it into the office a little early this morning, which is kind of unusual because I woke up late. Amazing the time you can make up when you skip breakfast.

Our office building is a pretty nice place and my second story cubicle looks out into a courtyard shaded by trees and other greenery. The centerpiece of the courtyard is a fountain, which had been broken until just recently. Another feature recent feature of the courtyard is a homeless guy who seems to be carrying on a conference call throughout the day. He has no phone, if you get my drift.

For some reason, I kind of equate him to the prairie dogs that have taken up residence on my property at home. I'm not offended at the prairie dogs' existence and they have as much right to live their lives in any manner they see fit. But I'm not real thrilled they have chosen my front yard as their home.

It's the same way with this guy now living in our courtyard at the office. I do have empathy for anyone who has found themself on hard times, and mental illness is something we as a society have not done enough to address. But I don't care to have to look at him all day and I wonder why the building's management hasn't done something about him.

That, of course, gives me a sense of guilt. If no one is going to help/do something about this fellow shouldn't I?

Before the pandemic we used to have an odd woman who would walk around our small town dressed in a long faux fur coat, big floppy hat and a scarf tied around her face. She always had on sunglasses and carried an umbrella to keep the sun off her. My town is little in terms of population, but you have to travel distances to get to places like the store.

The kids and I would speculate about this woman. Was she an alien who had been stranded on Earth? In truth, I knew the signs that pointed to a certain destitution and I wasn't too far off when she confronted me in the parking lot of the grocery store. Could I help her with some food and essential items? My answer was, yes, of course.

After an hour-long shopping trip in which she wanted to buy makeup and vitamins, along with Lucky Charms and bottled water, I was about $250 lighter in the wallet and tons more sad. I drove her out to what she said was her house, but I think she was squatting in an abandoned trailer. I helped her unload and she had God bless me.

I didn't feel blessed. I felt like there wasn't any amount of good I could do to help this woman.

Yet, there is a homeless guy below my window at work just now.

I ask: What would you do?