The Homeless Guy and Beer

I was in downtown Nashville tonight to hear some friends play (see earlier post) when a homeless guy comes up and says he's starving and asks for some money. I told him I'd be glad to walk with him and buy him something to eat. He said that was great and told me there was a Taco Bell down the street. About five steps later he gets honest with me and says, "Honestly, what I really wanted was to go and buy beer with the money. Thanks anyway." Sad. I used to run into this all the time in New Orleans but I hardly ever get into the city where I get a chance to talk to people on the street. It never ceases to amaze me how many people tell me they're hungry but when you don't give them money and actually offer to bring them food they get upset. Even better is when I go down the street, buy them some food and bring it back to them. That really makes some people mad. Then there's people I know like Harold (homeless guy in New Orleans that I'll probably never see again this side of eternity now) who always thanked me graciously. I finally got smart in New Orleans and kept gift certificates to McDonald's in my glove compartment. That way, even if they weren't hungry they could buy something later and the worst thing they could get with a gift certificate was an ice cream sundae. I wish I had more encounters like the one tonight. I wish I had more encounters with people who really needed help. I think I'm going to go hang out in Nashville more often.