"I'm Gonna Pound Your Face!"....Nicely...Of Course!

So this morning,  I am reminded of an experience I had just before we moved to Idaho.  I remember the experience because at the present moment, I am having a brain fart in what it means  to be a lady and was not keeping my wits about me with the man we rent our home from.  That's another story, and to protect the not- so- innocent, it will not be told!

The experience in Las Vegas is quite comical now, but at the time it was very scary.  I had recently been shopping with a dear friend.  We had gone to an older part of town, where I lived for the first 10 years of my marriage.  During that 10 years, it was in great shape. Buildings were not run down and there was not near the homeless crowd that there is now.  Well, my girlfriend  and I were shopping for Christmas Jammies for our children.  It was delightful and we had a wonderful time.  I am grateful that I was able to spend such quality time with her before I moved.  Once I got the jammies home, I realized they were too small for my youngest son and I needed to take them back.  Well, I also had a slew of other things to return to different stores, Target being one of these stores.  I ventured out a couple days later early in the morning after I dropped kids off at school and preschool.  I love shopping early when the crowds are small and I can get in and out in record time...hehe!

The Target parking lot was pretty scarce and that excited me.  I knew I would be in and out fast!  As I got out of my car, I turned to walk and right behind me (literally, within  maybe 1 feet) stood a woman who obviously was homeless.  She had a small back pack on, she was dirty, and her most prized possession, you could tell, was a cabbage patch baby as dirty as she was.  She carried this baby right on her hip like we would to our babies if we were chatting on the phone or something.  She startled me and to let you know how I can be when I get scared.....ANGRY!   When my kids try and scare me, or I become startled, I turn into a lioness protecting her young....even though it is usually my young (children, that is) trying to pull a prank!  I don't know why I react that way, I just do.  It's something I can't control...it just happens.

Well, abruptly, I said to her "What do you need"?  She asked me if I had some money to spare her and could I cut a girl a break!  I told her I had no money but I had lots of change with quarters in my car she could have.  That just irritated her and I told her I was sorry.  She then asked "Well, I see you have a bag here, do you have a return"?  I was shocked that she was being so forward but answered "Yes"  and she asked me if she could wait outside and if I would give her some of my money from the return.  I explained that it was going back on my debit card and offered her all my change in my car again.  That really irritated her and I started to walk away.

I immediately felt someone tug on my purse!  I turned around as I was still walking and told her to let go.  As I started walking again, she grabbed my purse again.  Now, you are probably thinking, "Didn't anyone see this?"  "Didn't anyone come to help"?  I am here to tell you that noone was around.  If they were, I was so focused on what was going on, that I did not notice anyone.  I didn't even think to call out for help.  I guess my stubborn "I can do this MYSELF" attitude came shining through....hmmmmm....now I know where my oldest get's her same thinking from...HER MOM!!

 Have you ever had that feeling of adrenaline hit you so hard you could TRULY move a car, or even hurt someone if you needed to defend yourself.......or die trying?   Well, that happened to me.  I felt this surge of energy/anger and I turned around and shook my fist in her face and loudly growled "I'M GOING TO POUND YOUR FACE"!!!!!!  I know, I know......shocking isn't it?  This tiny red head going to pound someone in the face?  Seriously though, I could have done it, and I must of had  a pretty scary look on my face, because she backed away and left me alone.  By this time, I was close to the entrance of Target.  I scurried inside and told the Security Guard about this lady.  He asked me "Doe she have a cabbage patch baby with her"?  I said yes and he told me they have had problems with her before.

I finished my return and asked the Security Guard to watch me walk to my car.  He did and I arrived there safely.   I got in my car and the let down of what just happened hit me.  I started bawling like a baby.  The tears just kept coming as I realized that I could have really hit her and probably hurt her.  Now, I have NEVER been in a fight in my life.  I was drug to the ground one time by a girl who was upset with me in the 7th grade that I could run faster than her, but that's beside the point!    I tried to call my husband, and he was not answering his phones and so I counted my blessings of being OK and drove home. Here's the funny part in all this.  During the whole incident, I was worried about hitting a homeless woman and going to jail wearing a skirt!  I could just see the headlines in the newspaper "Petite Woman in a skirt goes to Jail for pounding a homeless woman in the face"!!  I have seen reality shows, I KNOW that jail is a place I DON'T ever want to be.  I just kept thinking, "I am going to jail for hitting a homeless woman!  I don't belong there, I don't want to be there, let alone wearing a skirt...I would be such an easy target in that scary place!"

That evening, I relayed the story to my family.  As I came to the part where I growled at her that I was going to pound her in the face, my family burst out in laughter.  They could not imagine their mother saying that to someone else, but Oh Yes......I DID!!  My husband kept saying "Say that again, come again, how did that go?" and we all got a good belly laugh about it.  It helped ease the fear I felt to talk about it, and was glad they got such a kick out of it. 

I truly have sympathy for the homeless.  There is a story behind every pair of eyes!  I am sure if we knew their story, we would  be heart broken.  I believe that living on the streets long enough can callus one's soul and they don't always comprehend exactly what they are doing.

Although now comical, the reality is, I wish my situation could have been different.  What if she had just taken my change, and I could have wished her a Merry Christmas and given her a smile and a hug?  What if my embrace was exactly what she needed that day?  I will never know.  I am grateful that I walked away safe and sound as it could have turned out much worse.  We all have guardian angels, and mine were with me that day there is no doubt.

So, I learned a couple things from this experience:

1.WEARING A SKIRT MAY GIVE OFF THE APPEARANCE OF AN EASY TARGET-I love wearing skirts and I prefer wearing them over jeans.  However, in certain situations I guess I could come across as vulnerable and as easy target....and it doesn't help that I always have a flower in my hair...Yikes...maybe I better re-think my entire wardrobe....nah!!

2. WE ALL HAVE GUARDIAN ANGELS....WHOSE WILL YOU BE TODAY? For whatever reason, my life was spared from danger and I was blessed.  What kind of guardian angel are you and I to those in need?  Our world is in much need of guardian angels like you and I watching over each other.  There are many who carry burdens that they can scarcely withstand, and it is within the capacity of each one of us to lift those burdens, to ease the heartache that others feel through our sincere and Christ-like service.

Daily Challenge:  Pay closer attention to those around you.  Pick up on silent ques that are given and listen more intently to what others are "really" trying to say.  You may not have wings, but you have the ability to lift and carry....Go do something nice for someone else today!