I like your way of thinking Jerry.
The part were you tell about the guy in the street asking you for money brought back a memory for me.
A few years back I went to the cash machine and sitting right next it was a homeless guy. This guy was actually well known in my town because had once been a successful boxer. He was known as Joe the boxer. (sorry but the folk in my town are not exactly the most original of thinkers.)
As his career took nose dive he had gradually become an alcoholic. Anyways, he never missed an opportunity to ask for money and I suppose sitting next to a cash machine was a good strategy. I withdrew $50 and as you can guess he held out his hand. I dont know but why buy it suddenly occurred to me that, for I know, this could be me one day.
"OK if I give you some money it means I am helping you. So in return you must help me." He just stared at me and continued holding out his hand.
"Just for today, just one day dont use the money to buy cheap wine but instead go to the YMCA, have a shower, a good meal and get a good night´s sleep. If you do that then you help me by making me fell good about myself. Do you agree?"
He nodded. I gave Joe the boxer $50. He ran off. I then had to withdraw another $50. However, would you believe it the cash machine was now not working. Now I had to return home with no money and I wondered how I was going to explain the whole thing to my wife. She was in a bad mood that day as it was.
Well, as I walked back I saw a plastic supermarket bag on the floor. Being in a bad mood I started kicking it. I kept on kicking it until I saw that there was a waste bin. I picked up the bag and looked inside. There was a newspaper, a half eaten sandwich and a roll of money with an elastic band around it. I counted the money and, yes it was exactly $50. There was no identification in the bag at all but I still took it to the police station. The officer told me that without ID there was no way to trace the owner and t was too small an an amount to give a reward so I was to treat ti as a lucky day.
The money I had given away had somehow come back to me.
I never told my wife so I hope she does read this.
Excellent post Jerry.