i bought spam last night, for the first time ever.

i had a late-night craving for ice cream and fruit, so i stopped by the safeway on my way home to satisfy my sweet tooth. there's an older homeless guy named larry who is often at the front door of the safeway, and he greets people as they go in and out of the store. he's pleasant enough, seems to have some kind of rapport with regular shoppers, and never really seems to ask for anything. he has his obligatory cardboard sign explaining his plight, but that's really the only request he makes.

for some reason, last night on my way into the store, i stopped to ask him if there was anything i could get him. he hesitated, rubbed his chin for a moment, and said, " a can of spam."

"i'm sorry?"

"a can of spam. original flavor."

"that's it?"

"yep, a can of spam."

i bought him three. it's a wise choice for a homeless person-- it does not require refrigeration, it has a lengthy shelf life, it provides protein, and it's not expensive. i probably would have bought him anything he'd requested (within reason, of course), and he asked for spam.

i'm the kind of person who feels bad for not giving money to homeless people on the street, but yet i never give them anything because i'm wary of how they'll spend that money. i've heard stories of panhandlers who make decent wages by standing on street corners, and drive away in their SUVs at the end of the day. i've heard stories of panhandlers who refuse offers of food because they want the money for other (presumably less-than-admirable) purposes. i've heard the frustrations of people who think that the homeless need to take steps to help themselves, through the multitude of locally-funded housing and employment resources.

somehow, though, larry's request for spam restores some of my compassion for people with such trials in their lives. because of what he asked for, i have a feeling that he's a guy who really needs it. and i certainly can spare a few bucks here and there to help a guy out. call me a sucker, but there may be a couple of bucks in my grocery bill for larry from now on.

...and i didn't even eat my ice cream.