Ho' Dee Do'
When I was in high school, I hated one of my social studies teachers. She was an extrovert who was really hyper and loud. She loved social studies. And history. She used to tug on my shirts, trying to get me excited about whatever the hell she was trying to teach me. She'd stand on chairs and tables to get our attention when the class was being rowdy. She brought in pizza once, because the entire class got over a 90 on a Friday test, and it was the first time I ate a calzone.
I still hate people who are loud. In general, I still clash with and shy away from extroverts. However.
One morning this social studies teacher told us about the day she got mugged. Way before she became a teacher. She lived in the city (that'd be New York City, not SF) and held the door for the man who attacked her in the elevator. She saved herself by convincing him she was batshit crazy.
That's right, she flashed bottles of pills at him, all while talking a mile a minute about how she'd just gotten out of a locked psychiatric facility, and he fled. What I took away from that story was that if I was ever going through a door I'd just unlocked, it was more important to be safe by not holding the door for a stranger than to be polite.
Tonight I got home late after a long walk back from Trader Joe's (is it me, or do a lot of my blog posts mention that store? I actually don't even go there very often, despite how it may seem). When I got to the front of my building, there was a guy standing at the door trying to call someone on the callbox.
When he saw my swipe card in my hand (what are those things called?) he looked me up and down (it's cold, and I wasn't wearing a jacket), and then stepped back, so I could get inside. I said something to him about letting him in, and he actually said to me, "I'll just let her know I'm on my way up, so I don't startle her."
It made me feel like everyone is good, and life is safe here. I don't know what it was about that guy that inspired me to hold the door for him. Maybe it was that he was significantly shorter than I am. Who knows. But I know not everyone is good here, and I won't start leaving my bag on the ground while I walk ten feet away like I see other people doing. Earlier today while crossing the street I saw the homeless crazy man who grabbed me a couple of months after moving to San Francisco.
He's a reminder that not everyone is trying to avoid startling people.
I still hate people who are loud. In general, I still clash with and shy away from extroverts. However.
One morning this social studies teacher told us about the day she got mugged. Way before she became a teacher. She lived in the city (that'd be New York City, not SF) and held the door for the man who attacked her in the elevator. She saved herself by convincing him she was batshit crazy.
That's right, she flashed bottles of pills at him, all while talking a mile a minute about how she'd just gotten out of a locked psychiatric facility, and he fled. What I took away from that story was that if I was ever going through a door I'd just unlocked, it was more important to be safe by not holding the door for a stranger than to be polite.
Tonight I got home late after a long walk back from Trader Joe's (is it me, or do a lot of my blog posts mention that store? I actually don't even go there very often, despite how it may seem). When I got to the front of my building, there was a guy standing at the door trying to call someone on the callbox.
When he saw my swipe card in my hand (what are those things called?) he looked me up and down (it's cold, and I wasn't wearing a jacket), and then stepped back, so I could get inside. I said something to him about letting him in, and he actually said to me, "I'll just let her know I'm on my way up, so I don't startle her."
It made me feel like everyone is good, and life is safe here. I don't know what it was about that guy that inspired me to hold the door for him. Maybe it was that he was significantly shorter than I am. Who knows. But I know not everyone is good here, and I won't start leaving my bag on the ground while I walk ten feet away like I see other people doing. Earlier today while crossing the street I saw the homeless crazy man who grabbed me a couple of months after moving to San Francisco.
He's a reminder that not everyone is trying to avoid startling people.
posted by Green at 1/17/2007 10:07:00 PM
2 Comments:
As an apartment dweller, there is nothing more upsetting (except 2 AM playing the drums) than someone letting a stranger into the building. Don't make a habit of it! Someone who looks nice and normal and clean might be someone's psycho exboyfriend who is stalking her (so much more common than we think). The most successful serial killers were wellgroomed and nonthreatening looking.
I am always so thankful for those reminders that not everyone unknown to us is to be feared. May you find many of them in your new home. Congratulations again on finding a good place to live.
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