Do you see invisible people?

We market ourselves by the way we dress and talk, and we judge others by what they wear and say. This entry is more about opening our eyes and listening rather than actual marketing. But in a way it’s kind of what we do when we have to get to know a client. Never judge a book by its cover right? Or a company by the initial perception. We need gather information by asking questions and then come to a conclusion. Maybe there is a gem there somewhere?

I was sitting outside my usual Starbucks Cafe with a cup of coffee and my Kindle. The sun was warm but the wind was almost icy every time it picked up a little. Still it was nice. People came and went, and a few sat down at the other tables outside. It was a beautiful day.

Well into my fifth chapter, I heard some Metallica close by. I looked up and there was a homeless man listening to an old and dirty cassette radio at the far table. He was probably not any cleaner, but he was singing along and seem to have a good time. Every now and then he brushed shirt or pants as if there were crumbs on them. His bike was close by with some plastic bags where he probably kept most of his belonging. Metallica is cool. I smiled to myself.

A well-fed man in his late 40’s or early 50s entered the scene and sat down at the table next to the skinny homeless person. The homeless guy turned towards him and said: “Did you see Jimmy Kimmel last night?” The man who just arrived was now smoking a cigarette and turned the other way. Our friend kept talking, but there was no response.

The homeless person turned toward his cassette radio again and kept the volume low enough not to disturb anyone, but loud enough to hear. A friend of our cigarette smoking friend came along and they laughed about something and shared a cup of coffee.

The homeless man tried to connect, but it was as if he wasn’t there. Or that he was invisible or something. I started to feel very uncomfortable.

Finally I could not stand their attitude anymore. So I went over to our friend. He looked at me and smiled. I asked him what he was listening to. “Metallica! Did you see Jimmy Kimmel last night?” “No.” I smiled and looked over to his “friends” at the other table. Even I seem to have entered the “invisible zone”. So I turned around and said: ” Are you hungry?” He looked up and smiled with what little teeth he had left. “Always”. “Come on, let’s go inside and see what they’ve got”, I said. As we walked into Starbucks he was chatting about the time he was able to see Metallica in concert. He was a really nice guy, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the two well-fed men were thinking.

Inside I told him to take whatever he wanted. “I am a vegetarian,” he said as he took a bottle of water and a veggie sandwich. I paid while he went to the restroom to wash up. We continued to chat as we walked back to his table outside.After a few minutes I had to leave so I shook his hand and told him that it was nice to get to know him. He smiled.

I looked over and saw our well-fed friends looking at me. No smiles, but maybe they realized that even homeless are people. Their bad attitude gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I thought to myself that I would never ignore anyone. Well, maybe those two.

I never see “Mike” anymore, but “Steve” is there, every other day. We talk sometimes and always smile and say hi. It is good to know that sometimes just a smile or a few words can make someones day.

Do you see invisible people?