Today I was faced with a conundrum. A man was lying in the middle of the sidewalk and was still breathing, but not responding to inquiries. So was he just sleeping? Overdosing? Having a stroke, a heart attack, or other health emergency? Unknown. So what's the problem? If he's just sleeping -- so what? He can carry on. Doing no harm. But if he's in medical distress, just call for help.
Not so fast. The gentleman is African American. I'm an older white lady. What are the consequences? As I'm dithering over what to do, an African American woman walked by and she mentions the man on the sidewalk. So I asked her, "what would you do?" She agreed to call 911, but not stick around because she needed to get off her feet and sit down. Thank you, says I. About 5 minutes later, the gentleman gets up and starts walking the opposite way down the street. Within another 2 minutes, the Sheriff pulls up. I stress we were only worried about his safety; he was doing nothing wrong. I said it seems like he's fine now that he's walking away, but the Sheriff said he'd just check on him to make sure. That conversation, from what could be seen, was short and sweet.
In the world as we know it is, even well-meaning gestures can get out of hand and the consequences can be dire. And even though it seemed to end fine, I'm still not sure about whether it was handled well or not. I didn't actually hear what the Sheriff said. I didn't see how the gentleman reacted to a police car pulling up near him. And I can't know what this man has been through already in his life and his day that would make him suddenly lie down and sleep in the middle of a sidewalk. And sadly I will never know.
And now in NINJA news:
Ninja decided to jump the fence once again and came into the backyard. She completely upended the over one hour of planting succulents I did last night because apparently that was the best place to scratch for tasty bugs out of the ENTIRE backyard full of great places to scratch for tasty bugs that weren't JUST planted with succulents.
I had already begun watering the yard when I realized she had joined the party. I cautiously started at the far end and moved slowly and quietly as possible, all the while getting closer to her area. She was alert but seemed unfazed by the water and my presence. BTW, when I say water the yard, I don't mean turning on sprinklers. No, no no -- I have to stand there with a hose that kinks at every opportunity. This is by choice as I can direct the water very specifically and not waste water, and yet usually results in cursing the hose in multiple colorful expressions that would make a sailor blush. Not tonight though, out of respect for her delicate sensibilities.
Finally I had no choice (other than stopping altogether) but to advance to the area she occupied. She saw me coming, and instead of her usual startled and over-the-top flight response, she simply moseyed over to another area. Shock! OK, proceed with watering. Ninja wandered about and even came within a few feet. Has she realized she's safer here than out with the coyotes? Has she seen the light? Well, no. Not exactly. But it was encouraging.
After watering I put out a small bowl of mealworms for her in a spot she frequented. Then I went and sat down far enough away to keep from startling her, but within a more intimate distance than usual. She discovered the bowl and tucked into it with an enthusiasm I hadn't seen in her. She almost seemed to recognize that it appeared not by magic, but possibly by the person she'd been skirting all evening. She even kept looking at me sitting there and came closer. Closer -- and then she turns and walks away. Fluffs herself up and gives a good shake, Attacks the mealworms again, stares at me, meanders around the patio getting closer, and walks away again. If I weren't soaking wet and getting cold, I would've stayed in my seat to see what she would do as darkness approached, but in the interests of not catching a cold, I finally left the arena. Another chicken victory.
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