Does anyone else try to avoid eye contact and hurry into the store without having to interact with these saints of people? Do you try to pretend you are absolutely freezing and bury your face into your scarf so you can just get past them? Do you talk to your children and make them a false distraction? Do you just plain pretend they don't exist?
I am definitely guilty of doing most, if not all of these things. And I don't know why. The other day I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and thought, "Oh I'm just going to dig some change out of the console so I don't feel so bad walking past this poor man who I swear has been ringing this bell straight for the last oh, 10 days." I was stopped from digging out my nickels with this thought, "You know what? I am not going to give money out of guilt. I'm just not." It ended there. I did manage to ask the man on the way out if he was staying warm, like that really mattered.
So what is the answer? Even if I don't give money, is it still appropriate to strike up a short conversation with these faithful servants of the Salvation Army? Should I bring them a cup of coffee or hot cocoa? Should I just continue to walk past them and give the standard, "Sorry I don't have any change. ?"
When do we give and how do we give and what do we give? Any thoughts?
