This last week I found myself lending an ear to several strangers who were having their worst day.  I consider that to be the day when you 1) haven’t slept in awhile, 2) your sense of humor starts offending people, 3) you haven’t bathed or brushed your teeth, 4) and you start telling everyone you meet the innermost turmoil going on in your life.  Of course when you are having a crisis you justify vomiting up your problems because they just came up.  How does this conversation go?

Stranger:  Hope my phone call wasn’t too loud, I was just calling to wish my mother a happy birthday.

You:  My mother has a birthday, but I don’t know if I’ll want to celebrate this year because my ex boyfriend took my cat and I’m getting evicted and the only good thing in my life right now is this Snickers Bar, (insert crying, and one sniffle) so no you didn’t bother me one bit.

Recently I have been in random places this week and for once, I’m not the one forcing strange people to listen to me.  I was in the bathroom at school earlier and this girl said “Sorry I used the last paper towels.”  I told her that was okay and was about to walk out when she said “I’m always doing that.  I ruin everything.  Everyone hates me and they should because I’m a bad person.”  I was tempted to sneak away, but I got suckered in.  I assured her that using the last of the paper towels didn’t make her a bad person.  She said “True, but you don’t know what I’ve done.”  I thought oh please do not confess that you murdered someone…I know that’s coming…

Apparently, she withdrew all the money from her parent’s bank account and hasn’t been answering their calls.  I was like well, yeah that’s pretty terrible, but all I could say is well at least you didn’t take all their paper towels?  Then she just started sobbing and wailing.  It was the ugly cry, where the make up runs down your face.  Then after using me like a sounding board she said I have to go call them.  And that was that.

In class, I had a student tell me that he was sorry he was late and I said that’s okay you can sit down.  And he sat but he told me about how he finally believes in himself after he had to drop out of school the first time because his mother was dying.  All of his friends stopped talking to him when they found out he was going to community college (good friends) and then he realized that he was doing the wrong thing with his life anyway and he…

I won’t know the rest of this story because my eastern European student came in and said “My mother isn’t dying but I’m late because I was trying to steal a car but it didn’t work. So I thought I’d come learn about class.  I like hearing about the angry people.  You make them sound cool, like my grandpa.”  Um okay.   I don’t know if the car didn’t work or the cops foiled his plans but that hushed everyone up.  I’m also glad that learning about angry grandpas (or listening to stories about angry people told by grandpas?)  in my class ranks second on the to-do list after commit car theft.

Then today, someone stopped me and asked me how to get to the library and I pointed out the building and she just burst into tears and said “No one ever helps me, especially my dad.”  I think the world needs a hug.  And some brain pills.

I’m not sure why this is happening.  But if you are a stranger and you’ve got something to share, apparently, I’m open for listening to your ephinaniys and weirdest disasters.

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