Friday, January 8, 2010

soft touch ...

...yesterday I was riding home on the subway and, at Downtown crossing, saw a bunch of kids in red coats with white stripes on them. "Would you like to donate a dollar to help kids with HIV," they were asking everyone who walked by ... and everyone just walked by, including me.
"C'mon," I'm thinking, "I wanna help as much as the next guy ... but I gotta have my soda money, right? I mean, how's a brother s'posed to deal with his caffeine addiction if he keeps giving his soda money to folks in the subway?"
But I must look like a soft touch ... all four of the red-coated kids walked by the little old lady who looked like she'd give you the coat off her back and came straight to me, one after the other.
"All right, all right," I said to the last one, "y'all just won't leave me alone." I gave her every one dollar bill I had in my wallet.
Today the soft touch is drinkin' from the water fountain and jonesin' for diet coke!!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I never know what to do with folks like these. First, I feel guilty because I have a decent life relatively speaking. Ultimately though, I usually do not give anything because I do not trust people. Where is this money going? Will these folks steal some of the money intended for the charity? Is there REALLY such a charity? How much of the money donated actually goes to the cause? I know, I know.. too much thinking. I know there are websites that detail actual percentages of money donated that goes directly to the cause. Who knows??? Reminds me of a song by Carrie Underwood called "Change"... Am I "just a fool to believe you can change the world"? don't believe that!

VanO said...

I tend to think the same way, James, but given my singular New Years resolution to be kind, I am changing my way of thinking. For all I know, the kid might have gone straight to Mickey D's and had a happy meal. Guess I'm thinking of it as kharma ... the gift was intended for good so eventually good will come from it.
...I know ...I'm a cock-eyed optimist!

Vallypee said...

Hi Van, I would have done te same as you. I often do and people tell me I'm stupid, but i work on the basis of 'there but for the grace of God...." I know full well that most of the time it goes to a pack of cigarettes or a beer or a macdonalds, but if just once in a while it goes to the right place, then I'm happy. It's always a tough call, though, and sometimes I just don't have the cash...and then I feel guilty! LOL