I was on my way home from work, stopped at the intersection, with my windows down because the weather was nice. A homeless woman was walking up and down the rows of cars. She was smiling while she shouted at us that our whole city would be destroyed, a la Sodom and Gomorrah. I thought to myself, "What is she so excited about? If fire starts to rain from the skies, she's the one who doesn't have a ride out of town."
I'm sure that woman, like so many homeless, suffers from severe mental health problems. I feel sad for her, but it's also a self-pitying kind of sadness, because I'd like to help her and others like her, but am never really sure how.
But what sticks with me most is that eerie, cheerful smile. She was screaming at dozens of strangers that they were headed straight for hell, and she was doing it with the same facial expression a kindergartener would have telling you about her new puppy.
I finally realized what it was about her that so creeped me out. That smile is so familiar.
Allow me to elaborate...
