Christmas is supposed to be the season of giving. Well we give and give until our credit cards are left breathless and panting, and we have no more money to spend on those cute boots that just won't seem to go on sale or that new game console we hope our relative will buy us as our Christmas gift.
Well think again my friends. The whole "giving season" isn't about giving to your relatives who are spending an equal bucket load (and then some) on your gifts. We have reached a point in consumerism where we literally have everything we need and everything we want and are now just accumulating, well, things. Things and things and things. Enough is enough and we certainly have enough. I mean, there's nothing wrong with wanting things but when does it end? When do we stop this craziness and this need for sales so we can buy more things that we don't need and lets face it, don't actually really want?
Well, let me focus your attention to Durant Avenue, Berkeley, California.
My favorite homeless man (yes I have a favorite) sits outside of Top Dog about a quarter of a mile from where I live. He is there every single day and with a smile on his face, greeting each passerby. He has a cup in his hand awaiting donations. But you know what, whether or not you empty out your change in his little styrofoam cup, he will bid you a kind farewell with a "Have a nice day" or "May God bless you". You carry on with your day. You don't give him a second thought. He sits. He waits. Repeats. Day in and day out.
You don't spare a dollar that you'll probably spend on a... hell you can't even buy anything with a dollar anymore. But that's not the point. He gave you everything he had to offer... a kind word. It's fine that you didn't give him any money. That's not the point either (It's coming I promise).
Well, this said homeless man, who greets me with a special smile ever since I give him some graham crackers out of the bag I was eating, has a special place on my favorite-hobo-ranking-list. (No there is not a physical list, it's a mental thing).
Anyways. As I cleaned up my room for winter break, I realized I had boxes of granola bars sitting in a bin under my bed in my dorm. I'm never going to eat those bars. They taste like soap because I failed to realize that putting them in an enclosed bin with my laundry detergent was a bad idea.
So, (here it is people, the great enlightenment) I figured why not give my neglected granola bars to this man sitting out in the cold (who I am sure will not care or realize they taste like laundry detergent) while I'm suffocating in the warmth of my room with the heater on full blast. If you think this is a tale told to boast you're greatly mistaken. To me, these granola bars mean nothing. They're trash. Yes, it's unfortunate that what is worthless to me is a pot of gold for somebody else. But that's the way of the world dear reader.
On with my tale, as I walked over to hand a bag of granola bars to this man (who's name I am yet to learn) I felt a bit nervous, not knowing how he would react. Perhaps he would be insulted and I would be taking a jab at his pride. But then again, maybe not. If you don't try, you won't know. So I walked over to him, he greeted me with that million dollar smile, and I asked him if he'd like some granola bars. Smiling, and a tad shocked, he said yes I would thank you. And as I reached my hand into the bag and grabbed a handful of bars (because what would the other hobos think if I didn't save them some) his eyes widened and he said "all of this?" Mind you, it was four of five bars... But he looked at me like 5 year old boy on Christmas morning who just got that toy he really wanted but hadn't told his parents about. I felt great, he was happy, it all worked out splendidly. But as I walked back feeling as if I'm all of a sudden a good person and that I did a good deed, I realized that honestly, that really does not make me a good person, just like walking by him everyday an not even sparing a dime doesn't make me a bad one. Shouldn't we always be doing good deeds? Shouldn't we stop being so selfish all the time and think of somebody other than ourselves? Well, yes. The answer is yes.
So next time you go into Target and spend $200 more than you meant to, throw an extra box of granola bars and give them to a homeless person on the street. After all, they can't buy drugs with a couple of granola bars right? (You know, since apparently all hobos do drugs and buy drugs with the change you give them which is actually your excuse of never giving... ya)
This feels a bit pretentious (it was not meant to be). And I was told to shorten it. I didn't.
So if you made it to the end, well you made it.
Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas.
I have one page left to write of my 10 page paper for tomorrow morning. Send a prayer my way if you will.
SH
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