I may or may not have mentioned it before but sometimes not great things happen in my building's back Parking area.

A few years back my Car was broken into, as an example, and all the things were taken.  I've found drug paraphernalia,  I've seen people casing other cars, other cars have been burglarized, etc.

I used to Wake up quite often when sounds back there (my bedroom window opens onto the parking area) weren't normal or right and often would yell at whoever to move on.  It stresses me majorly to do so, so I've been trying to let it go/train my brain not to have to wake up.

The other week, however, I was nearly awake (and my alarm was close to going off) and I heard "not normal" in the parking lot.  It was dark, and early, and I figured a perfect time for theft type things....

I got out of bed and looked towards the sound and there was a man standing next to one of the cars in the darkest area getting changed/dressed.

I felt badly... those without homes/places to stay need to get changed and dressed too, but also I didn't want to really just encourage anyone to be on our property.  But I figured when I went into my main room and turned on my kitchen light (dark out, remember?) that they would see the light go on and move on and sure enough when I got into my kitchen and turned on the light and peeked out they were gone.  No need to call anyone or do anything.  Done.

Until the next morning, when I heard the same kind of "odd" noise.  Hmmmm, I thought, are they sleeping here?  And so I looked out again.  They were standing next to the same car except this time the car door was open.  And they were getting clothes out of said car and putting them on.  Oh!

It wasn't an unhoused person at all, it was one of my neighbours seemingly on his way to work, who probably didn't want to wake anyone up at home or maybe didn't want to bring work clothes/overclothes in to the house and so has/had been changing outside!  Or maybe putting on coveralls or something.  

I don't know the details, but the point of my little story is that we don't always know what's going on and assumptions based on past experiences can sometimes even then be wrong!

So now I can tell my brain to ignore the "person getting changed very early in the morning" sounds too.

(And sorry for the earworm!)