Mulling Over My Shortcomings

I sometimes wonder if I've become indifferent to human suffering. I was upset over forgetting Cece's chimes, so went to Dudley House at 6:00 am, before my walk. Incredibly, I couldn't get the door open. What the--! I decided to go around back to see if there was another entrance to the downstairs. I took the path in back and was stunned to see a--I think a woman--sitting in a small alcove along the path. I was no more than two feet away from her. She was blinking her eyes as if she had just awakened. At almost the same time, I saw the back entrance, in a stairwell down a steep flight of steps. Also simultaneously, I realized it was very early and there was no one around. Even if there had been, Dudley House is on a corner and set back from the street. If the person next to me was aggressive, I thought (and maybe it's not a woman, I wasn't positive), I would have little chance of getting away without harm, and I was certainly not going to venture into that stairwell. All this passed though my mind in a second; to quote Eliot, "in short, I was afraid." I quickly rounded the house, got to my car in the parking area, and drove away. I went back after my walk, bringing a can of W-4, which I thought might make the key work, but it didn't. With some trepidation, I went to the back--the person was gone--and was able to get in the door in the stairwell. I found Cece's chimes in the stairwell, and that was that.
Only it wasn't. I can't help thinking about the person looking at me. Why didn't I try to help or, at least,  acknowledge her? Later, when I walked in town, an old woman on a walker had some DVDs and asked me to buy one for a dollar. I said no and walked on, but once I had gone a half block, I turned around and caught up with her. I didn't take the DVD, but gave her a dollar. Guilty conscience? Oh, yes, absolutely.
Aside from that angst, I stripped the bed, remade, and washed the sheets; went to Sprouts for beets and onions; and bought plastic wrap. Home, I cut up and roasted the beets, along with the stems; I'll saute the greens today. Also sliced tomatoes and onions, seasoned them, and roasted them as I did the beets.
After dinner, I went to The Cave, hoping to get a bottle of the champagne in a bottle with sparkles on it as a going away gift for Nancy, whom I'm meeting for lunch tomorrow. Darn, they had only a small, chintzy one and too-large, too expensive one. I think I'll get her a prepaid gift card from The Cave, instead.
Talked to Cece and she invited me to join her at The Wicked Brew on Wednesday evening for a glass of wine and "getting to know you" session. She said a harpist will be playing. This is where I one of my acting students, T.J., had appeared with guitar and song, and I had visited. I accepted, as it should be fun and is something new, which I always enjoy.