Ryan's Story

            Ryan told me and my friend Missy this story about how when he was a teenager he got so plastered one night he wound up breaking into someone else’s house thinking it was his.  The wife was so scared she called the police but the husband knew what a harmless drunk teenager looked like I guess so he drove him home and left him a note with a suggestion that if Ryan ever wanted to talk about it this guy was available.  Pretty classy move.

            So Ryan tells us this story and like two days later Missy is telling us how she picked up some hitchhiker and gave him a ride even though she normally would not do that.  I was like, “Girl, do not do that.  It is not worth it.” And she was like, “Ryan’s story inspired me.”  "Ok, whatever," I thought.

            Later that same day a homeless-ish guy named Sam who was in a free intro to stretching class at the dance studio near me asked me if I was going downtown.  I wasn’t, but I said I could give him a ride if he needed one.  It just came out of my mouth.  He was quite elderly, and seemed sane, and the dance studio owner was right there when we made this agreement for a ride so I guess if I had disappeared they would have known who took me.  I don’t know.  My husband reading this is probably not thrilled at the decision, and I’m not going to make a regular habit of giving strangers rides in my car.  I was taught that is a big no-no, and I get why that is.

            But I did it.  Missy’s story and Ryan’s story inspired me.  And no I didn’t give the guy money or food, or offer to house him, and he didn’t ask for any of that.  He just needed a ride downtown and I drove him there and it felt good.