No good deed goes unpunished

ArtimisArtWorks

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Nov 14, 2002
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Ohio
No good deed goes unpunished
Details….Last Monday office is closed, cleaning carpets all by myself, front door is locked.

A man I had meet a couple of times, (he is a friend of a customer) knocked on the door and asked to sit down. I let him in offered some water, he tells me his tale. He needs $25.00 and is willing to do anything including clean toilets. Well I’m in a big foot brace and needed a pile of leaves cleared out and put in the dumpster, he agreed. Great I thought win / win. I give him a shovel and off he goes. It took him 10 min…yes 10min (small pile) He comes back in and starts to say…

(Him) “Wow that deserves a big tip”
(Me) “Excuse me”
(Him) “I cut my finger outside and deserve a big tip”
(Me) “That’s all the money I have”
(Him) “Oh well, that's ok it will only take a min”
(Me) “WHAT will only take a min?”
(Him) “The liquor store…you need to drop me off”
(Me) “NO!”
(Him) “I hurt my knee outside doing your leaves it’s the least you can do”
(Me) “My husband is on his way here to pick me up…goodbye!”

He leaves and I look at the carpets it’s now black from his muddy muddy boots.
The kicker……. he came in again tonight trying to get more money.

I thought I was doing good.

Anyone else have a similar good deed gone bad? Please cheer me up!!!
 
Yes, yes, yes. I have been a total sucker for young down and outs, and totally stupid recognizing (ie NOT recognizing) drug addicts.

I too have paid far too much to have leaves raked (and tools broken and hidden). "Fool me once... " is now my motto, and if I give money to panhandlers or whatever, I have a very good idea where it is going now. So I don't much, once in awhile the left side of brain wins out over right (or is it vicy versy?).

I hate this. Feel stupid and conned if I do and uncharitable if I don't. I know I can give to the agencies, but it not the same.

Rebecca
 
"I hate this. Feel stupid and conned if I do and uncharitable if I don't."

Thank you Rebecca...I feel the same way.

At $25 for 10 min of work is aprox $150 an hour, he made more than me that day........UUUUGGGHHH!!!
 
Someone told me to try this a long time ago and I use it sometimes;

THEM)- I need $ for blah blah blah
ME)- OK, tell me a joke I haven't heard before
THEM)- What?
ME)- Tell me joke, and it had better be funny, if I beat you to the punch line you will go away, forever. If I laugh I'll give you $3.

I feel it's worth it, in 5 years I've only lost $3. :D
 
A few years ago there was a lady standing with a "will work for food" sign as I pulled out of a strip mall exit. While waiting in a line of cars I noticed that directly across the driveway was a huge "Help Wanted" sign in Del Taco. I rolled down my window and encouraged her to go in and apply for some steady employment.

Her reply: "Oh no, I could never do that - I can't stand that long." I can't tell you how badly I wanted to stalk her to see how long she STOOD with her sign!
 
we tried it with a local guy for snow shovelling one year. He did a great job and he was pretty cheap and we would have been happy with him, except for every time he needed money he'd come in looking for it and he smelled bad and it was uncomfortable for us and the customers. We had agreed times for his pay and he just kept coming in and asking for it.

Eventually we gave him his money (after a few repeat months of this) and told him to never come back. Don't shovel for us - because we won't pay you for it.

He tried for a little longer but eventually gave up. He still goes by all the time, carrying his brown paper bag and is always polite to us. It's a crying shame. He's a hard worker - but unemployable.

A few years back a guy came in looking for "help" saying that he had no food in his place. Just a can opener.

I wasn't going to give him any money, so I went to my goodie cupboard and gave him a nice big can of chunky soup and told him that he could have it, but please don't come back here looking for anything else. He took that can of soup and almost cried and called me every thing up to his guardian angel, and we never saw him again.

It felt nice to know that at least he didnt' go hungry that night - and that i just didn't support his "habit".

It sucks that you ended up with nothing but a bigger mess, but somebody, somewhere knows that you tried to give a poor guy a break, so you didnt' totally lose out.
 
Oh, yeah. I have 'sucker' emblazoned on my forehead. Now, however, the alarms go off a little earlier than they used to. If some folks worked as hard for a job as they do on their story... But sometimes I'd rather err on the side of charity, just in case their granny really DOES need $5 to make her wheelchair payment.
 
Came out of a Carnegie's Deli in New York one time with half of one of those huge sandwiches that not even Norm Perterson could entirely polish off only to be hit up by several panhandlers. When I told them I couldn't give them any money, but would be happy to let them have the other half of my sandwich...they weren't interested.

As I stood waiting for the walk light, I felt a small tug on my jacket and turned to see a hunched over little old lady who asked if I had any spare change. I responded the same way and offered her my sandwich. She accepted it with a feeble smile.

As I walked across the street, I turned back only to see her wrinkled hands grasping the sandwich and fervently devouring it.

Even now it makes my eyes moist to think about her and wonder how she is making out in this often cruelly harsh world.

It's a dilemma anyone who has concern for their fellow man has...how to help those around us who really are in need without enabling destructive habits and behaviours. Too often those most in need of help fall through the cracks of institutional charities and too often those very charities who tug at our hearts with their marketing are disguised enrichers of their organizers.

The only answer I can proffer is that we all should try to be more aware of the needs of those around us. More often than not, those most in need do not make their needs known so easily and we have to look with empathetic and open hearts.

Each of us has needs...whether financial, spiritual or emotional...by tuning into others no matter what our situation...we can focus less on our own problems and alleviate the hurt in others.

Guardingly, be as kind as you can to even those who are, in reality, "soft shoe shufflers"...you may be able to change their life. Open your hearts if not your wallets to those in need.

Every interaction we have with others can change someones day, if not their lives, for the better.

Dave Makielski

[ 04-04-2006, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: Dave ]
 
Amen! What a wonderfully nice person you are...
thumbsup.gif
 
Originally posted by Rogatory:
Someone told me to try this a long time ago and I use it sometimes;

THEM)- I need $ for blah blah blah
ME)- OK, tell me a joke I haven't heard before
THEM)- What?
ME)- Tell me joke, and it had better be funny, if I beat you to the punch line you will go away, forever. If I laugh I'll give you $3.

I feel it's worth it, in 5 years I've only lost $3. :D
I could make a fortune if everybody did this!
 
Originally posted by Danimal:
Oh yeah? Tell me a joke I haven't heard before!
Well, OK -----

Jewish guy gets seated next to a German on a plane.

They start chatting and as soon as the Jew realises the other guy is German he punches him on the nose...

"Vot Vos Zat for?" says the German

"That was for the holocaust, you German pig"

Says the Jewish guy

"Vell, I understand your sentiments" says the German, "But zat vos a long time ago and nusink to do viz me!"

The German thinks for a minute and then headbutts the Jewish guy, breaking his nose.

"What was that for?" he says

"Zee Titanic" says the German

"But that was a bloody ICEBERG....."

"Iceberg - Goldberg - all the same to me, PAL!"


30 Dollars please (Never mind $3 - I got overheads)
 
Uh, I've heard that one before???

Ok, Ok, I'm a liar. Do you take American Express?
 
I'll try, how about this:

A grade school teacher was asking students what their parents did for a living. Timmy stood up and said, "My mom is a doctor!" Sarah stood up and said, "My father is a professor!" Little Johnny stood up and said, "My dad is a piano player in a wh*rehouse!"

The teacher couldn't believe what she had just heard, so she made a point of calling Little Johnny's father that evening to discuss the situation. Little Johnny's father explained, "Actually, I'm a law attorney, but how am I supposed to explain that to a seven year old kid!"
 
Once in London Victoria station I was approached by a very attractive and well dressed young lady in tears. She had arrived there by coach and left her handbag on board, the coach had gone. She needed train fare - had to get home - someone dying ......

I had no cash but was going to my wallet for my hole-in-the-wall-card. Then a security guy came up and said "Put it away, she's just another junkie mate"

She just shrugged and walked away.

We get them in the shop now and again - not necessarily junkies - "Locked my keys in the car -need money for train to get spare set" - "Can you sponsor me for the London Marathon" (Produces handwritten list with 'Burger King £20, etc)

Our best was a fake note - teenage girl buys one reel of cotton, gives us a Scottish £20 note we don't see much scottish currency - or N.Irish both are legal tender in England. It was such a rubbish attempt, printed crooked even, but our assistant, at the time, took it.

Best bit was our Post Office took THREE - all with the same serial No of course!
 
OK Danimal, we're quits LOL

Thought I'd heard all the little Johnny jokes too (His surname is Jones BTW)............

Talking of warehouses........ The priest comes across Johnny outside a brothel.... "JOHNNY, what are you doing here"

"Well, Father, see that room up there with the red light? Well, there is a nice lady up there that I have been saving my pocket money for, I am going to have sex with her...."

"NO - Johnny - this is not the way, you should wait until you find the right girl, marry her and then think about sex......."

"You don't understand Father" says Johnny, if I have sex with this lady I will catch crabs, maybe even a social desease and.........."

"Johnny - what are you thinking of?"

"OK - I'm getting there .... and then I reckon my brother's girlfriend, who has been giving me some deep talks on sex will be up for a practical demo - so she will catch what I have. I'm pretty sure she is having it away with the gardener too - so he gets it, I KNOW the gardener is having it away with my Auntie Flo, so she gets it and I also know that Auntie Flo is having it away with my Dad,
and HE's the one I want - the B****** killed my pet frog"
 
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