RIGA

I feel terrible.

Today, this little boy, maybe around 7, pleaded with me to give him something, but I found myself saying no. And the more he begged, the more I said no.

What stopped me from giving him a little something? It's like you get into a mode, a "No" mode and you cannot make the adjustment. The 50 cents I could have given wouldn't have affected me one bit, in spite of the fact that I only have $69 in the bank, and, happily, I discovered later, about $230 on my person, thanks to the fact that the robber in Tallinn went for my right pocket and not my left.

He stuck to me for about one block. I kept saying no, and he kept asking for money.

I wish I had made the adjustment, given him a little something, and we would both have left happy.

Except now, I don't know how he is doing, but I know I feel like crap.

Patrick Barry B.