Happiness and Karma

I was walking up Buchanan Street (in Glasgow, my home) today and from a distance I saw a guy begging. I've seen him there before and he's one of those beggars who smiles and says God Bless to the people who walk past while they pretend he's not there. He looks about my age and actually looks happier than the people scurrying around him with their shopping.

Buchanan Street is an incredibly busy shopping area, all about brand presence and people with bags of expensive new objects. It's one of those cathedrals to capitalism and consumerism that have become the embodiment of our aspirational culture.

Which is fine if you like that sort of thing but it grates with me that we're still being sold this dream while so many in our society have fuck all. The old rich/poor gap is getting wider and it's conveniently summed up in a guy begging on Buchanan Street.

I'd already decided today that I'd help someone out, do someone a solid, if and when the opportunity presented itself. For no reason other than I am extremely lucky to have what I have and felt like passing it on.

I approached the guy and crouched with him, said; "sorry I don't have any change but can I get you a coffee or something?", he said he'd love a hot chocolate from the bakery he was sitting near, (the bakery was that UK chain bakery we all know, cheap and shit). I asked if he'd prefer one from the fancier mega-corp hippy coffee chain that was 100yds down the road; after a moments thought he said he would prefer that. I offered him a bacon buttie too, which no-one in their right mind would refuse.

So I got the hot chocolate and bacon buttie, delivered it (he briefly tried to ask me for change before he remembered our meeting and agreement from five minutes ago) and crouched with him for a few minutes, said I hoped things picked up for him soon and Robert told me about his plan to move into some accommodation and take the small steps to getting back on his feet to tread the glorious path to bags of Buchanan Street booty. He said he was trying to keep off the drink, I mentioned that I stopped drinking at new year but then realised how absurd it was to try and compare our battles with booze and moved the chat back to him.

I became conscious that his buttie and drink were getting cold in the freezing Glasgow air and said goodbye. I headed on up the street with a decent feeling in my heart; I'd done someone that favour and I briefly pondered if karma would repay me.

I decided I wanted a coffee after all the goodwilling I'd been doing and cut into another chain (who make better drinks than the aforementioned hippies) and made my order. I must have been giving off a self-righteous glow because the (very attractive) barista asked, "What are you so smiley about?", I just said I was generally like that (I am) and why not? She was the same type and we had a brief conversation about happiness and having a positive outlook on life, she put my coffee on the counter and said, "that's on the house."

And that's how karma works, so be nice to someone today.