Putting in perspective

As you know, usually I post about my latest baking or decorating endeavor or (more frequently as of late) the boys. But I just had to share this little moment in my life, because it really got to me the other day…

I’m not usually one to hand out cash to people asking for money (and we have a lot of those here in SoCal). I remember listening to a former homeless man who spoke to a high school group many years ago, who talked about how you should’t give money to people standing out in the street, but instead to the programs equipped to help these people. So I generally give to organizations supporting low income or homeless people when asked, and I don’t typically give to people down on their luck. But the other day I was getting gas and I guy asked me if he could wash my windows, which I politely declined. And then I watched as he trotted back to a little shady grass area by the gas station where he had his bucket and squeegee, a bicycle, and…his family, slightly hidden behind the corner. He was a pretty young guy, and sitting on the grass was his young wife/girlfriend and two young kids. A 3 or 4 year old and a baby, who didn’t look much older than my twins, who were cooing away in the back seat.

Now I hate it when people sit on the street corner with their kids, hoping for a sympathy donation, but that’s not what was happening here. The mom was off to the side in the shade, entertaining the kids, while Dad was over at the pumps asking people if they’d like their windows washed. And I thought to myself, “Wow, we sometimes have times where things seem a little tight, but never, ever have we been in a situation where we felt like the Hubby needed to work it at the gas station to make ends meet.” So I looked in my purse, and when I was done pumping gas, I drove over and gave the man the $6 I had in my wallet. Whatever the circumstances (and who knows what they were), I was pretty sure that this young family needed my $6 more than I did.

The man thanked me and asked if I’d like my windows cleaned. I declined, but he asked me one more time, saying that he really, really hated to ask for money, and if he could wash my windows he felt like at least he was helping me out, too. So I let him.

And as he washed my windows we chatted. His kids were 3 and 7 months. He had just recently lost his job and he talked about how hard it was trying to make ends meet without a job, but he couldn’t bring himself to just stand on the corner. So at least this way he could “work” for cash. And then he thanked me again and off I went.

So as I stress about preparing for a move to the other side of the world or grumble about the price of plane tickets as we plan our holiday trip to the East coast to see our family, that little interaction, however brief, really helped me put it all in perspective.