Lessons learned from a homeless man

Alaskan homeless are hardcore.  These are folks who will be out panhandling at -15.  And there is one guy in particular who should teach lessons on how to make people feel guilty.  Not since "the look" my mom could deliver has someone conjured sheer shame with just a glance.  But this guy has it nailed.

This is a guy that I will actually change my traffic lane so that I'm not parked next to his spot at his stop light.  Well, this morning I forgot.  And there I sat, trying not to make eye contact, but kinda looking and giving him an encouraging smile, and still not trying to bring too much focus on me.  And as I pulled away, thanking the traffic light gods for making the magic circle bar turn green, homeless man made his perfected move that can illicit shame in even the most hardened souls.

With almost comical deliverance, he hangs his head, turns his mouth down, and slowly shakes his head back in forth.

Gah!  The guilt.  Obviously this is a man who has worked this scene long enough to know that even if you don't get a bite on the first go round, if you make people feel bad enough, they'll remember you and perhaps hook you up next time.

I'm tempted to stop and ask him the secret of his look, because I need to stick that one in my back pocket to use on the girls.  What a tool!  What a gift!

Must. Have.