The other day i did something that surprised even myself .

I will try to keep it short . The other day i went to the local shops to get some smokes , darts call them what you want but on the way out i passed this man with a small bag and a homeless sign . Drove straight by and felt sorry for him but hey not my problem . Well i got about a kilometer down the road and ..... well its hard to explain , i had to go back . Anyhow i go back and pull up in a place that wont affect traffic going out of the shopping centre , hey dont block the exit . Now i must admit i felt awkward and did not even know how to approach the situation so i just called the guy over , gave him 20 and said get yourself a good feed . I guess i did this because if things were slightly different that could have been me sitting there , i really am not sure why . The only little thing i regret is not saying is if you get the chance pay it on .

Tell you what , it felt good , really good .

a reply to: hutch622



Does feel good, hey. I've done that in the past, but most often I'll just sit and talk with homeless people.. give them the time of day, when most of society just step over them as they walk by.

You did a good thing. I'm sure some may say otherwise, or have a different take.. But you did a good thing!

a reply to: hutch622
That comes from a nagging little parasite called empathy! I have emergency stuff in the trunk of my car and I keep extra survival blankets in case I find someone in need. They cost under $2 but can be life savers.

a reply to: Ridhya

That comes from a nagging little parasite called empathy!

Yes , not a bad bug to have i guess . It was a funny experience and by that i mean .....oh i dont know . Just had to do something , did it change this mans life , maybe . Did it change mine , pretty certain my lifespan is not going to be less for doing this . It felt good .

a reply to: hutch622

Well done you and a .

I've done this a lot of times and can't make sense of it. Is it altruism where people do a good thing for its own sake? Is it ego and we do it for bragging rights or to feel self-righteous? Is it a guilty conscience? A fear that it could be us one day?!

It's puzzling.

I like the 'pay it forward' idea. I like the butterfly flapping its wings idea even better. A cheap act of kindness can be like that butterfly's wings and create a tiny storm of positive activity somewhere far away in time and space.

a reply to: hutch622

I did this same thing with a twist. We have this guy here that wanders around with a sleeping bag and just looks horrible. He goes around and touches four posts in our village. I saw him one day, it was cold and wet out, I went back and bought him coffee and a donut. He didn't want it. I found out later, he isn't homeless, actually has a nice house, but is a little messed up in the head. Go figure!

Good stuff . Trust your gut

a reply to: Kandinsky

Is it ego and we do it for bragging rights or to feel self-righteous? Is it a guilty conscience?

I dont know , i honestly dont . Something more than the above but i cant put a tag on it .

a reply to: hutch622

What a lovely man. I love people like you. You make my world go round.

I am being serious. It is lovely to read about these kind of actions. Keep them coming, people.

a reply to: hutch622

Kudos, that is so Jedi of you to do that act of kindness.

It goes to show that that not everyone is thinking about themselves and there are a few folk out there with a heart, my best friend has a very ill kid and was distraught, but that's irrelevant as his kid is now okay, so I spare a coin for the volunteers that I trust because they are the ones who makes lives better-however don't trust a religion when they ask you for money-I know where it goes, if they don't ask for food drives then be wary.

An act of kindness brightens the day and makes you realize the world isn't that bad.

a reply to: hutch622

Yes, sometimes you have to.

We will occasionally sacrifice some of our weekly groceries to families on the corner for the same reason.

originally posted by: hutch622
i just called the guy over , gave him 20 and said get yourself a good feed .

He probably went and bought himself a pack of smokes after you left.

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: Kandinsky

Is it ego and we do it for bragging rights or to feel self-righteous? Is it a guilty conscience?

I dont know , i honestly dont . Something more than the above but i cant put a tag on it .

I had the very same thing happen, some feeling made me turn around and I also gave the Man a 20, later thinking I should have done something more. Should have offered my extra room and bath for the night. He had a feeling about him, he was very very dirty and his eyes were sad.

Hebrews 13: 1 Continue in brotherly love. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

One thing I need to do is get the addresses/phone numbers/contact info for Salvation Army, City Union Mission and other similar shelters who help the homeless printed on small slips of paper that I can then put inside the sacks of stuff I do hand out. Those places can extend far more help than I can by myself and do it as their mission.

a reply to: Kandinsky
Blimey Kandinsky. Is it psychological or what. I was feeling warm till I saw your snowy avatar, it sent chills down my spine.
Well done Hutch, even a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Around the Holidays, the grocery store has these "gift grocery bags" that are something like $10. They are basically a coupon you are charged but will contain a whole meal for someone down on their luck. Each trip in I try and buy one. Having been starving and homeless for an entire day it does not take much to convince me that simple act of generosity can mean a world of difference to a complete stranger. I do not hand out cash anymore because that is sometimes used for drugs or alcohol (stuff I need, lol!), so either dropping of food at the food banks or these grocery bags is what I do now.

Nice job! Way to be human!

I like to do that kind of stuff, when I'm able...just difficult economically these days. (and half the time, you don't know if they will just spend it on drugs, etc.)

So....about two weeks before Christmas, things went really crappy.

First, our truck broke down. It was a week in the shop getting fixed, and cost $1100 to fix. Right before Christmas. Well, so much for keeping our phones on, or Christmas presents.

Then, our boarders (we board horses)...none of them had paid. Mind you, we use this for our mortgage payment. Typically, we're cool if paid by the end of the month...even if due on the 1st. But, we allow them to pay when they get paid, so like a couple times a month or more. But, to date, nobody had paid SQUAT... This is over $1100 just pending. (funny how that works out, huh? Given the truck repair bill).

So, a few days before Christmas, and we have like $7 in the bank. Not good. At this point, we're even looking at frozen pizzas for Christmas dinner.

Then, a few little Christmas miracles. My wife gets a decent bonus check, I get paid early, a couple of boarders paid some, etc. Even sold a few things from our closed tack shop. Holy crap! I'm like "Merry Christmas movie house!, etc." (eh, some will get the reference). I mean, we were legit screwed before all of this.

So, the weekend before Christmas, we go on a shopping spree, save Christmas, etc.

While out shopping, we see a homeless vet with a dog. He's way outside Walmart, like the outskirts of the parking lot. We go in and shop, but also with a plan, and on the way out, stop and get one of those holiday meals with sides from the Deli, a drink, and get a can of dog food. We give this to him on our way out of the lot, along with $10 and wish him a Merry Christmas. You could tell he was legit, and his face really lit up. Still the best Christmas present I got.

Should have offered my extra room and bath for the night

A difference though, between kindness, and putting yourself in danger.

Regardless, it'd still be a stranger in your house, who could rob you, or worse, and you would have put yourself in that position. Can't let emotion override common sense. Much as we'd like to trust people....

I've done this a lot of times and can't make sense of it. Is it altruism where people do a good thing for its own sake? Is it ego and we do it for bragging rights or to feel self-righteous? Is it a guilty conscience? A fear that it could be us one day?!

Just following the golden rule man.... Do unto others, as you would have done to you.

The only selfishness in it, was the good feeling from doing good for another.

Not bragging...pretty sure this is the first time I even mentioned the deed. Just something the wife and I did. Even our friends we saw the next day, it never really came up. They know what kind of people we are, no need to mention it really.

A fear it could be us? Possibly....certainly been down on our luck, and were, just days prior!

a reply to: Gazrok

You could tell he was legit, and his face really lit up. Still the best Christmas present I got.

Makes it all worthwhile doesn't it .