Had a great birthday weekend.
Went out for dinner at this great little Italian restaurant downtown. I had linguini alfredo with chicken and artichoke hearts and a great glass of shiraz, while Todd had Linguini with chicken in creamy pesto. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
After dinner we walked to a little bar that we like to go to for a couple of drinks. While we were sitting at the front window, a man came in and you could guess that he was homeless, but he was clean, polite and smiling. He brought a travel mug in with him and the bartender asked “more water?” And then I was sure that he was homeless. He got his water and left the bar. Through the side window I coud see him sit down at a picnic table and drink some of his water and pull some food out of the bag he was carrying. I was glad to see that he had food. I was trying not to stare, and to let him eat his meal without my curious eyes interrupting him. Then I noticed what he was eating. He was eating a loaf of bread. A loaf of bread and water. And not slices of bread, a loaf where he had to tear chucks off. And then I noticed that he had no fingers on one hand. This broke my heart. Here, I had just gone out for a big dinner and drinks and really didn’t appreciate the fact that I had the means to do that, not to mention no impairments that would prevent me from working to get said means. Most of the time, when Todd and I encounter a homeless person, we give them the change that we have in our pocket. A dollar or two mean A LOT more to him/her than it does to me. We had a five dollar bill sitting on the table. I decided that $5 could really mean a lot to him. I asked Todd if he minded if I gave it to him. He had some trepidations, as he wasn’t asking for money. I said that, that was part of the reason why I wanted him to have it. He watched as I walked outside and approached the man. I said, “Hi! I was just wondering if this would help you out?” He looked at the money and then looked at the money, saying in a thick German accent “Were you in the bar?” I nodded and he reached out for the money and hugged me and kised my cheek. I was a little taken aback – but not nearly as much as I was after the next thing he said: “Can I buy YOU a beer?” Seriously, you want to thank me by spending your money on me? Wow. There is hope for humanity. I replied, “No! But I hope you’ll have one if that’s what you want!” I waved and headed back into the bar. He packed his stuff up and followed me into the bar. Now some people might think that giving a homeless man money outside of a bar isn’t a good thing and spending found money on alcohol isn’t beneficial. However, I don’t agree. I gave him that money to give him a hand up and to hopefully give him a feeling of normalcy for a short time. While he was at the bar he had 2 beers and bought 2 cigarettes off of another patron. I have never seen someone smoke a cigarette in such a thorough, urgent and non-wasteful way. I let that man fee like a normal man sitting in a bar on a Saturday night – if only for a half hour or so. I don’t have a lot, but many people have less than I do, and I must give if I can, when I can.
*breathe*
On Sunday, Todd and I went shopping in the States for our usual Stateside staples. We were also on the hunt for new running shoes. We each found a pair – Todd opted for Saucony (he’s been loyal to Adidas for a long time!) and I expected to buy a pair or Asics, but found the most comfortable and light shoes, which were a pair of Adidas Supernova Glides. Oh, and did I mention they were cute? Here they are, check them out! I’ll wait.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3204064&cp=2367438.2367454.2866814.2866816.2879033#1
Cute eh? They fit fantastically too.
Once we got home, Todd’s parents dropped by for a bit. After they left, we watched the race and sat around enjoying the beautiful day. We had a great evening with the tube and just enjoyed our Sunday.
Great birthday weekend!
There was one point where the weekend coud have been blown. On Saturday evening we were leaving Amherstburg on the way back to Windsor after a day of laying flooring at my parents’ new condo. On our way out of a 50 into a 70, a car flew by us and Todd said “Wow he must have been doing 100!” The car then went through a traffic light and we stopped as it turned yellow. When the light turned green, blue and red lights flashed on behind us. Ummm…. WTF? The cop came to the window and took Todd’s licence and asked, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” A clueless Todd said, “no idea!” The officer was all too happy to oblige, “I got you doing 101 coming out of a 50!” Immediately Todd exclaimed, “Wasn’t me!” To which I chimed in, “A blue Calibre flew past us back there.” OMG, is this actually happening? What happens now? The cop responded, ”Lucky for him, shitty night for me then isn’t it?” OMG, I always wondered what would happen in that stuation. And the scary part – that was 51 over. Stunt Driving. Licence yanked, vehicle impounded, huge-ass fine. Once again, OMG. I thinked the Lord right there on the spot.
*breath out*
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