Sentinel

I have this friend that I tend to be a little over protective of sometimes. Let me backtrack, I have been known to be over protective in general, but with this friend it tends to take on a life of its own. I usually don’t even realize it, but recently it was pointed out to me and I’ve been trying to figure out why. Why am I so protective of this friend? I’m not that over the top with my own siblings.

I think part of it is that my friend doesn’t react or resent this personality quirk as much as my siblings. But is that it? My friend is smart, generally has a good head on their shoulders, and is conscientious. But for all their smarts, every now and then my friend does something that leaves you going "why"?

A picture of a city. 

Recently my friend attended an educational conference in a large, well known city. Two days prior to the event they finally booked a hotel room that was reasonable in a mediocre part of town. Instead of dealing with traffic and parking, my friend decided to take the light rail into the city, attend the first several sessions their luggage, and then check into the hotel. And this is where our tale begins.

The first round of the conference ended, and my friend is walking to their hotel, with their luggage to check in. Along the way a friendly, homeless man asks if my friend would buy him a hamburger. My friend, who loves hamburgers, and believes in helping others, said ok and they started to walk to get a hamburger. Along the way the gentleman changed his mind and asked if my friend would give him money to get a room for the night at a hostel. Apparently the gentlemen was recently released from the hospital where he'd been staying due to some broken ribs he obtained when someone decided to go on a rampage with a hammer in the middle of the night.

The crux was the hostel was in a not so nice part of town and this chap did not want to take my friend there. My friend doesn't like to give cash, and was torn. It’s about this time I got a phone call and heard the whole story.

The agreement they came to was he’d go get a room and in 10 minutes return with a receipt and key to show he’d actually gotten a room, and left his Special K granola bar as collateral. So my friend waiting with their luggage, decided to call and share this unusual experience with me. They proceed to tell me that they were open to helping this chap because of the blessing I’d given them when they were still figuring out where to stay.  I told my friend they’re the only person I know that makes me want to not bless them. That made them laugh, we chatted a bit more and then got off the phone.

I told my mom and sisters this story and Mom in her wisdom all but shouted, if he doesn't return, “Don’t eat the granola bar.” I laughed but after considering who we were talking about, called my friend to stress this piece of wisdom, ‘causing them to laugh again.

You’d think the story was over, but no. Apparently, the chap returned, but the hostel was full and he needed to return in an hour. Next call from my friend, they’re at a park, with their luggage, hanging out with the dude and was rather at a loss of what to do.

At this point I told my friend, it was time to make their ado’s as gracefully as possible and go check into their hotel. As Mom said, because right now they're homeless too.

I think its times like these that occasionally make me over the top with my friend. Like I said they are really smart, but there are moments where their common sense seems to shut off, and they end up in scrapes that leave you going, really?

But I learned something else from this escapade. First, my friend’s guardian angel must be on overtime a lot. I can’t imagine what that time card would look like. Secondly, even in the midst of this chaos, my friend was protected. From the peace I had two nights before they got to the city, to the friendly homeless chap that had my friend’s back and didn’t let them go to an area he thought was sketchy.

It’s a reminder that my worrying, while sometimes making my friend more cautious, doesn’t change anything. Ultimately, I am not in control. That there’s Someone who’s guiding and protecting my friend way better than I ever could. Maybe in future I’ll be able to trust that; staying calmer and less likely to develop an ulcer… 

Beyond that, what else can I say; God Loves Leila.