On my way to spin yesterday and my mind was on Syracuse basketball and March Madness. I was within a block of Equinox and preoccupied.

Suddenly, there was hot, hideous breath in my face. I look up and an overweight, middle-aged woman, holding on to a cell phone in one hand and an egg on a roll in the other, accosts me and says, “Got 50 cents for food?”

I was taken aback as well as repulsed by her breath. At first I assumed she wanted 50 cents for a phone call and then I realized, 1. No more pay phones and 2. she was gripping a cell.

Then my business acumen kicked in and I thought, “What a lousy marketer…asking for money for food when you are stuffing your face with an egg sandwich.”

I was disappointed on so many levels.

I never carry money in Santa Monica. On my best day, I have at least 5 requests for handouts. I never have cash on hand when I walk the dogs, shop, go to the gym or just stroll the ‘hood.

Santa Monica boasts a 9.5 city tax and a disproportionate number of obnoxious homeless people. They are pushy, demanding, unruly, have sex in public and are sharp as whips when it comes to their rights as the advocates are many and mighty. I have written about this in previous blogs and it just keeps getting worse.

Anyway, feeling magnanimous and not wanting to piss off the basketball Gods, I patiently explained to the aggressive lady, no I don’t have any money, ask for more than 50 cents because in Santa Monica there is absolutely nothing you can buy to eat for 50 cents, brush your teeth at least once a day and be a more efficient marketer. I told her to have a lovely day and went on my way.

I gave her some thought during spin and Pilates. I decided to see if I could actually track her down. Knowing the resting spot for all the homeless in Santa Monica, I headed to Palisades Park armed with a healthy $10 acai bowl, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a smile. She displayed a modicum of recognition, returned my smile and actually said, “thank you.”

Syracuse won by 24 so someone rewarded me for a random act of kindness.