In very good company, I have made yet another startling discovery about myself. This discovery? It is that good looking crazy/homeless people make me more sad than the converse.
Obviously, I know this is very shallow…no duh. That’s my point.
So, I was walking towards the Montgomery Station the other day & I passed the usual “street crew”. I will list them:
a) Bushy Beard Guy: sleeps next to the newsstands at Sansome & California. When I see him in the morning, he is still bundled up in his blankie…head perched just so on his pillow – cup sitting next to him for donations (labeled “please help”). I have walked by him later in the morning just in time to see him opening up the lowest newspaper compartment to pull out his shoes – he’s actually quite orderly. When I spot him on the way home from work, he is generally just shuffling down the sidewalk to some unknown destination (never veering far from the claim he’s staked).
b) Always Passed Out/Looks Dead Guy: his name pretty much sums it up – he resides in Montgomery Station
c) Guy in Motorized Wheelchair: is always on Sansome & is super friendly. I overheard a lady telling him where he can go to get help…dunno if he went.
d) New Guy With Plates of Marbles: don’t know much about this one, other than the fact that he has this elaborate staging around him that consists of plates, marbles, beach glass & plastic dinosaurs. He just does his own thing – doesn’t bother anyone. Oh, he also has a couple of carts full of “stuff” with him.
There are several others, but you get the gist. So, aside from my initial observation of their appearance, these people garner very little of my attention. I feel no pity, disgust, etc towards them – they do their thing, I do mine. A couple of days ago, however, I witnessed a stranger amongst my familiar street folk. The reason this one caught my eye was because he was actually incredibly good looking. I actually felt an odd pang of sympathy. Why the h-e-double hockey sticks would I have more sympathy for the plight of a good looking homeless/mentally ill/drunk addict person over one who is not so comely?! I told my friend Tamara about this & she immediately countered with, “That’s because you’re shallow, Charlene”. She quickly amended this with a “j/k”, but she’s absolutely right.
I will now go back to having zero sympathy.
