DEAR ERIC: Yesterday I was riding my bicycle to the Newport Beach City Hall to get a new parking pass for my car. I was standing next to my bicycle by the entrance when an earnest, polite young lady came up to me and engaged me in a conversation.
She asked me if I was homeless and needed a referral to a shelter. I’m a retired 72-year-old lawyer living on Balboa Island, riding a $5,000 bicycle in my cycle clothes.
What’s an appropriate response? Should I get angry? Should I question her motives? Should I be supportive to her? Should I dress better?…