I spent most of this evening with colleagues socially. On my way home, I walked past a well-known and frequented fresh/healthy fast food place in the city (with a French name). I saw an employee with huge black bags emptying the shelves of salads and sandwiches and preparing them for what appeared to be (the salad equivalent of “dead man walking”) the trash.
I tapped on the glass to ask if they were planning to donate “all that food”. Being in a suit probably didn’t hurt anything, though he might have opened the door anyway. He explained that normally they do, but for whatever reason tonight they were not going to be donating. I replied that there were plenty of people out there who could use that food. He told me he could give me a little bag of it. I watched as he put two salads and about six sandwiches in the bag.
Not ten seconds into my walk I saw a guy. Clearly dirty, unkempt and smoking a cigarette. I said to him, “Hey man.. you hungry?” He said something that I heard, but figured I hadn’t. I repeated myself. He repeated himself, “I’ll take some money..”
“Wow.”, I said. Wow.
Being an advocate for people tho, isn’t about the thanks. Even if they don’t understand or acknowledge or appreciate the effort, advocate for the principle, for those who care, and for yourself.
It was good to be challenged and not have the neatly trimmed and aligned tale.m with everyone playing their role. Standing outside McDonalds, the guy who turned down free food that I went out of my way to save from the trash heap, taught me a lesson and helped me strengthen something in me that be so easy to lose.
INENARRABLE 