I really didn’t want to have the conversation, but it was going to happen whether I wanted it or not.
Maybe the light would change, the cars would somehow move a bit faster, or that the break in traffic would come and I could make the left turn and avoid interacting with the gentleman in the median. No such luck.
I was driving home, working through my cranky-ness. I had stopped at the cigar store and was taking the long way home so I could enjoy a few minutes of solitude and get done being mad. Little did I know that it was the conversation with the homeless person that would force me to realize that I was being, a d**k jerk.
As luck would have it, I was the third car in the turn lane and I wound up stopping right next to him. He said something unintelligible and I responded with “Sorry Man” and shook my head. His response “Maaan, I didn’t ask you for no money, why aren’t you listening to me”? He was right, I didn’t listen and I wound up apologizing.
“Sorry, I’m not having a good day, I’m sorry for being rude” I replied. “It’s OK Man” he said, “You don’t need to be having no bad day, you’re in a car driving home and smoking a cigar. You ain’t me right now, it can’t be that bad”.
I immediately felt like an ass. I realized that I was cranky because I wanted to be cranky. I had no good reason to be that way and here was a homeless man in a busy intersection reminding me that I was being an idiot. He was right and all I could do was shake my head and smile. “See” he said, “I just did my job. I made you smile”. I apologized and thanked him.
The light changed and the last thing he said to me was “Peace, Man”. The horns had already started and while I was starting to accelerated I quickly glanced in the mirror to see him shuffle down the median with a big grin on his face.
I was still smiling and shaking my head as I was pulling into my driveway. He was right, and all it took was quick change in the perspective.
