So a little over one month ago OkDork.com posted an idea on how to help people. He wanted to send people $1, and in exchange they would turn around and give that money away. I thought this was an interesting idea and sent him my address. A few days later a dollar bill arrived and I began to search for someone to give it to.

My first thought was to give it to a friend or colleague, but the more I pondered the dollar the more I realized that it should go to someone who really needed it. No one that I am close to is in dire straights. Most people who I pass on the streets would also see it as little more than “just a dollar.” So I had to find a stranger who not only needed a dollar but would use it wisely.

I finally found my man (pictured on the right). I hear him singing and rapping every morning at the Jackson stop of the red line (right next to the blue-line transfer tunnel, to be exact). He’s got a fairly good voice, but what makes me smile each morning is that he interacts playfully with the commuters. He has fun despite the tough situation he’s in.

So I gave him the money and took his picture. He just kept on singing while holding up the dollar (inset image). It is an awkward and strange thing to give someone a dollar, take their picture, then walk away. But I’m glad I did it. Thanks, OkDork, for the weird moment.