I was walking home from my kettlebell workout last week and it was already dark when I left the studio in Hillcrest. I had about 3.5 miles to go to get home. Normally, when it is dark outside, I stick to more well lit areas. Balboa park along 6th is usually the safest bet. However, on this evening I was tired and just wanting to get home, so I just kept going down 5th avenue. It's not that 5th is unsafe, but there is a section of seedy bars and dark desolate areas scattered along the route.
I had stopped at Evolution to get dinner, since it was so late, and I wouldn't have time to fix anything when I got home. I was carrying it in a brown paper bag. As I was walking, I saw a couple blocks in front of me a man that was stumbling and shouting out at nothing. He was clearly homeless and clearly drunk. I would usually try to avoid these types of characters and change direction, but I was at a point where there was really no other direction to go. I moved forward and as we met along the sidewalk he moved in front of me, I moved to the side, and he moved to the side. Then he said "I want your shoes and what's in the bag!" I pushed past him to continue on my walk and he grabbed my arm and tried to take the bag out of my hand. I gave him the palm thrust to the nose and broke it! Then I said "you can't have my shoes or my dinner!" I'm pretty protective of my shape-ups and my sweet potato fries!!
I felt really good that I had protected myself, but then I felt pretty bad that I broke a homeless guys nose. I probably could have just pulled myself out of his grip, he was drunk after all. I guess I can just add beating up homeless people next to beating up and tasering children on my list of things that are sending me straight to hell :)
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