Sep. 21st, 2010 11:20 am
That Thing I Do- Update
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mizarchivistSo, that thing I do- Life continues as it does week in and week out. Things change bit by bit- Richie's corner is often empty, but I see him around. I can't really plan on giving him food since I really never know when he's going to be there. On top of that, the Starbucks next to where he camps out is under construction for another week or two, so his usual buddies aren't as likely to be there to buy him a coffee.
Vera... She's extremely challenging. She always has been- and I do what I can to accommodate without being 100% a pushover. I realize I may not have given Vera the exposition yet. -so:
Vera's... well, extremely crazy. But non-violent and sober. She hangs out in front of Park St. T stop, favors overly populated, hard to read signs that she wears on her person, and loves to put feathers in her hair. It took a long time to understand her chant is "I need food money today, I need your generosity today." She eventually accepted food from me, and I spent the whole summer providing her with frozen 1 L bottles of water (reused- not wholly healthy, but better than nothing. I figure off-gassing from water bottles is the least of her problems). Between a lack of teeth and a very particular view of what is acceptable food, I spent a fair bit of time trying to be helpful. Too much? Probably, but always brought back to: I have everything, she has nothing. Also, sometimes the things we have to/should do are not easy.
One of Vera's particularities, is that she's convinced They are out to get her. Government, ... Them. She does have people harass her, so her paranoia isn't for nothing, just not sure it's as universal as all that. Anyway- last Wednesday she took the time to tell me about another food-giving friend who is on her do-not-accept-from list. That the food she got from this friend made her ill for days (from the bagel place across the street). That "They" know who her friends are and will sabotage what is set aside for Vera. So, she can't afford to take anything from this friend. OK, I say to myself. This is my future. She will some day say this to me. That day was- apparently- yesterday. I don't know if it's now a universal distrust, but there you have it. Considering Vera once gave me a packet of raw chicken with the hopes I would cook it for her- and could not be convinced that it was actually OK--- Well, no. A world of no way. I don't think I have to explain all the reasons why that wasn't going to happen. I took that packet and pitched it immediately.
Vera made my personal charitable mission easy. She's there every day, rain or shine. Same place, same times. I will have a somewhat more difficult time in future, but perhaps the universe's way of telling me to take a step back.
Vera... She's extremely challenging. She always has been- and I do what I can to accommodate without being 100% a pushover. I realize I may not have given Vera the exposition yet. -so:
Vera's... well, extremely crazy. But non-violent and sober. She hangs out in front of Park St. T stop, favors overly populated, hard to read signs that she wears on her person, and loves to put feathers in her hair. It took a long time to understand her chant is "I need food money today, I need your generosity today." She eventually accepted food from me, and I spent the whole summer providing her with frozen 1 L bottles of water (reused- not wholly healthy, but better than nothing. I figure off-gassing from water bottles is the least of her problems). Between a lack of teeth and a very particular view of what is acceptable food, I spent a fair bit of time trying to be helpful. Too much? Probably, but always brought back to: I have everything, she has nothing. Also, sometimes the things we have to/should do are not easy.
One of Vera's particularities, is that she's convinced They are out to get her. Government, ... Them. She does have people harass her, so her paranoia isn't for nothing, just not sure it's as universal as all that. Anyway- last Wednesday she took the time to tell me about another food-giving friend who is on her do-not-accept-from list. That the food she got from this friend made her ill for days (from the bagel place across the street). That "They" know who her friends are and will sabotage what is set aside for Vera. So, she can't afford to take anything from this friend. OK, I say to myself. This is my future. She will some day say this to me. That day was- apparently- yesterday. I don't know if it's now a universal distrust, but there you have it. Considering Vera once gave me a packet of raw chicken with the hopes I would cook it for her- and could not be convinced that it was actually OK--- Well, no. A world of no way. I don't think I have to explain all the reasons why that wasn't going to happen. I took that packet and pitched it immediately.
Vera made my personal charitable mission easy. She's there every day, rain or shine. Same place, same times. I will have a somewhat more difficult time in future, but perhaps the universe's way of telling me to take a step back.
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