Striking Up A Conversation

I met 20 people over a span of 20 days, that’s how we became acquainted - Someone whom they’ve never met, me, asked them a question they didn’t expect: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”

It was just before 11pm on April 3rd, I was en route to pick up my wife from work when I stopped at the red traffic signal just down the street from the house. I was the only car at the intersection. As I waited for the light to turn green, I noticed USD lying in the crosswalk in front of me. I put the car in park so I could get out and grab it. It was a five dollar bill. The drive to my wife’s work is only a few miles, I wanted to give it to someone before I got there. (had it been daylight, that wouldn’t have been problem!) I didn’t see anyone to give it to along the route nor did we see anyone on our drive back. early April, it was late, it’s cold! The next day I decided to change the $5 into five $1’s, rather than give away one thing, I could give away five things. I peddled down to the market to exchange the $5 for five $1’s but when I got there and grabbed my clip, I realized I had a ten dollar bill in there, too. I had that $5 I found, a $10 and two $1’s - 17 bucks. Looks like this experiment just expanded to 17. I asked Mr. Songs to cash the $5 and the $10 for me. Now I need to find 17 people. And then 17 turned into 20...

Coincidence is a funny word. Not even five minutes after I gave away the first dollar, my buddy @carklevicci called me to tell me he was coming down the following day to catch a sunset. I told him about the dollar I just gave away and the five dollar bill I found, the whole experiment. We talked about it for a minute and that’s when he suggested I document my encounters. That’s what I did. As I continued to introduce myself to these people, my notes became more detailed. After each interaction, I would get out of sight, around a corner or ‘something’ as quickly as I could to document my experience while the details were still fresh in my mind.

I’m going to divide my three week experiment into three different posts. Tomorrow will be the next nine conversations that took place between the 12th and 18th of April. Wednesday will be the last two. I know how cliche “the best for last” sounds but I can’t think of a better way to describe those last two gentlemen. These are the notes I took when I met 11 people between April 4th and April 11th, this year:

Striking Up A Conversation

1 - (4.4.18)
Man - late 30’s. Pushing a shopping cart piled high with possessions; dread locks, oil stained clothes, oil under fingernails, torn pants, wearing socks only. I peddled across the street to him.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Him: “I suppose I wouldn’t, I suppose I wouldn’t, I suppose I wouldn’t.”
He said everything three times.
I grabbed a dollar out of my pocket and handed it to him.
Him: “Mighty thoughtful of you, mighty thoughtful of you, mighty thoughtful of you.”
I stuck my hand out to introduce myself.
Me: “I’m James.”
Him: “It’s always nice to see you James, it’s always nice to see you James, it’s always nice to see you James.”
He didn’t shake my hand. He walked away.

2 - (4.5.18)
Man - young, 25-30. Pushing a mountain bike with a trash bag full of cans around his back and another full bag of cans tied to his handlebars; Long curly hair to shoulders covering his face, wearing full camouflage gear: boots, jacket, gloves with cut out fingers. I stopped him.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Him: “No, I wouldn’t mind.”
I gave him a dollar and stuck my hand out to shake his hand.
Me: “My name’s James.”
He didn’t shake my hand but he gave me knuckles.
Him: “I’m Jose, good lookin out.”
We continued in opposite directions.

3 - (4.6.18)
Man. Roughly 50 years old. Really matted hair, torn and greasy white t-shirt, real dirty, torn levis. He stared at the ground, never looked up, not even once. I stopped him.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Him: “No. No thank you, thank you, no. No I’m ok. Wait, did you say give me a dollar?”
Me: “That’s all, I just want to give you a dollar, is that cool?”
He didn’t say anything and never once looked up at me but he stuck his hand out to accept a dollar. I gave him a dollar and stuck my hand out to shake his hand.
Me: “I’m James.”
Him: “Michael.”
He shook my hand, continued walking and never looked at me.

4 - (4.6.18)
Young Lady. 30’ish. Laying in a park, head tilted up on a bicycle, covered in bandanas, legs covered by a sleeping bag. Surrounded by full trash bags, a tent, scattered clothing. I peddled over to the park.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Her: “Sure.”
I grabbed a dollar out of my pocket and handed it to her. I stuck my hand out to shake her hand.
Me: “I’m James, nice to meet you.”
She shook my hand and said “I’m Christy, God bless.”
Me: “God bless you, too, Christy.”
She had only a thumb and a middle finger, the rest of her hand looked like a possible defect since birth.

5 - (4.7.18) 9:49am.
Man sitting outside a sandwich shop. This one was interesting, he and I were just both inside the sandwich shop. A gentlemen was making me a sandwich when he came in. The man had enough change in his pocket to buy a drink. He spoke real soft, real polite and real kind. He took his drink outside while my sandwich was made. As I exited the store, he was sitting outside drinking his drink. Mid to late 40’s, heavy jacket, beanie, full facial hair, gloves with cut out fingers.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
He started waving his hands in front of his face while shaking his head ‘no’ but didn’t make a sound.
Me: “No, I can’t give you a dollar?”
He waved his hands frantically in front of his face, shaking his head violently and started making a weird growling sound. I left.

6 - (4.7.18) 4:42pm.
Man sitting outside market with his back to me drinking coffee.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
He was about 40 years old, dressed nice in washed clothes, average looking, Kings hat, Kings sweater.
Him: “That would be sweet!”
I gave him a dollar and stuck my hand out to shake his hand.
Me: “I’m James, nice to meet you.”
He shook my hand.
Him: “I’m Robert, God bless you.”
Me: “God bless you, too, Robert.”

7 - (4.10.18) 1:58pm.
Man. Sitting in a parking lot with his back against a 3’ block wall. Looks like oil all over him, his clothes, skin, black oil everywhere. Next to him is a huge empty bottle of wine, the biggest bottle you can buy in a store. I walked to him.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
He started howling really loud toward the sky like a dog does when sirens drive by. I kind of backed away while he did that and asked him again.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
He stopped howling and started reaching all through his jacket pockets with both hands. I did get a little nervous at this point because I wasn’t sure if he was looking to pull something out of his jacket and if he was, I had no idea what it would be. When he took his hand out of his jacket, he pointed to the sky and stopped howling.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?” (Third time)
I pulled a dollar out and motioned I wanted to give it to him. He grabbed it and started howling at the sky again.

8 - (4.10.18) 7:05pm.
Man. Sitting on a bus bench with a trash bag full of recyclables. He didn’t see me, He had a full rim hat and a long white coat, cataracts type glasses. I stopped.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Him: “Sure!”
I gave him a dollar and stuck my hand out to introduce myself.
Me: “I’m James, nice to meet you.”
He gave me knuckles, he didn’t have any fingers. Then I noticed both of his hands didn’t have fingers, he only had thumbs. Looks like a birth deformity.
Him: “I’m Jared, God bless you, nice to meet you James.”
Me: “My pleasure Jared, God bless you, too.”

9 - (4.10.18) 7:24pm.
Man. Sitting with his legs crossed in an alley, back against an apartment building. He’s humming something and swaying back and forth. I peddled to him and stopped, he pointed toward the sky and said.
Him: “Why do they put their shoes up there?”
Pointing at a pair of shoes hanging on the power lines.
Me: “I don’t know, they must not want them, would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Without ANY hesitation, he said: “Would you mind not getting anymore tattoos?”
I started laughing uncontrollably. I really couldn’t stop, he started laughing with me. He then went on to tell me about his son, who’s in the Navy, stationed in San Diego, California and that he has a lot of tattoos, too. He told me he was just playing and that he actually likes my tattoos, we talked about them for a little bit. I stuck out my hand to shake his hand and asked again “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?” I introduced myself as James. He stuck his hand out, I gave him a dollar and he shook my hand.
Him: “I’m Kendal, thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
Me: “My pleasure, enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Him: “If I feel like it, I will!”
I laughed a little again and took off. (My notes that I’m copying right here say: ‘Kendal is my favorite’)

10 - (4.11.18) 2:19pm.
Really young man. 20 years old at the most. Baseball type t-shirt with torn yellow sleeves, a dirty beanie on his head, sandals, torn pants, pushing a shopping cart full of earthly belongings.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
Him: “Sure, I guess not.”
I could tell he was really aggravated, he’s in a really angry mood. I handed him a dollar and stuck my hand out to introduce myself.
Me: “I’m James.”
He shook my hand.
Him: “I’m Joel, why the F are you doing this?! What the F are you giving me money for, you think I just F’ing need it or you think it’s your job to f’ing hand out money?! Is this what the F you do or what?! Who the F are you! Who the F you think you are?!” (Lots of F words)
Me: “Nah man, I just happened to have this dollar in my pocket at the same time I saw you, that’s all.”
Him: “God bless you James.” He took off.

11 - (4.11.18) 2:27pm.
(I was writing down the notes from Joel when right around the corner, I could hear someone screaming as though their life depended on it. Super loud, echoing) I peddled toward the sound.
Man. Sitting on a bus bench with headphones on screaming at the sky. The city bus stopped for him but he just kept screaming and didn’t get on the bus. I went over to him but he wouldn’t look at me, he kept screaming at the sky. I got in front of him with a dollar in my hand and was able to get his attention.
Me: “Would you mind if I gave you a dollar?”
He pulled off a headphone.
Him: “For what?”
Me: “I just want to give you a dollar, is that cool?”
Him: “If you don’t want nothin, Lord knows I could use a dollar.”
I gave him a dollar and stuck my hand out to shake his hand.
Me: “I’m James.”
He took the dollar, didn’t shake my hand, put his headphones back on and proceeded to scream, as though terrified, at the sky.