Beer

I went to the local Trader Joe's store the other day. There was a young woman looking through the trash when I went in, so I picked up a sandwich for her.

When I came back out of the store, she was sitting down with a little box asking for change and writing some thoughts in a notebook. We chatted for a bit, but I didn't ask her much, just let her talk and tell me about the book she was writing. And then she posed this question to me:

"Why isn't it okay for me to have an occasional beer?"

She mentioned that she had a little extra money and, as a treat, purchased herself a beer. Then she got yelled at and harassed by a man that didn't think she should have one.

I've been thinking on this ever since. Isn't it sad that we hold someone that's struggling to a higher standard than ourselves? Why do we do it? Is it just to make our situation feel better? Is it a way of feeling superior?

I'm conflicted too ... I don't want this young woman on the streets. I want her to want something different. But who am I to say she doesn't. We only chatted for a few minutes.