StreetLife
25/07/08 18:13
To my adoring fans….it’s time to get serious for a minute.
Now, I know that most of you tune in to get my take on the lighter side of life, and that’s great. I am all about living in the moment and learning to laugh at yourself. I especially enjoy laughing at myself as I am generally doing, or on the verge of doing, something rather stupid. But even I sometimes find that I must take a step back from the frivolity and face reality in all of its ugly starkness. This is one of those times.
If you have been following my travels then you know that I am currently spending some time soaking in the sites of the city. (Still not going to tell you which one.) And while my time here has been blessed by the amazing people that I have met, I can’t help but feel saddened by what I am seeing as a growing epidemic during my travels. Homelessness.
This is a problem that people like to ignore, mostly because it hits too close to home. After all, how many of you out there reading this are just one mortgage payment away from being on the street yourself? You can be sitting on top of the world one day only to have the rug jerked out from underneath you the next. It’s harsh, but oh so true.
You may be wondering what brought on this train of thought, and I would love to tell you. The story goes something like this:
The other day I was sitting in the park watching my friends in the 22 Crew do their thing when I noticed a man. He was dirty, unkept, and standing alone at the edge of the crowd. You could tell that he didn’t want to bother the others who were enjoying the show, but you could also tell that the music was pulling at him to come closer. I sat and watched this man for some time before finally getting up off my butt and going over to talk to him. I don’t know what it was, but something in me just couldn’t leave it alone.
He was wary of me at first (and who could blame him) but after a bit I convinced him to come and have a bite to eat with me. His name was Mike, and the story that he had to share is one that I think we should all hear.
Mike’s problems started when his wife was diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago. The two of them had never had a lot, but they managed to get by and were happy enough with their lot in life. You see, his wife was working towards here teaching degree, while he worked in a factory in their hometown. The work wasn’t great, but it paid the bills and gave them that much needed medical insurance.
As his wife’s illness progressed, Mike was forced to take more and more time of from work to care for her. Neither one of them had any family to speak of, and their insurance would not pay for in-home nursing care so it was the only option that they had. Luckily the owners of the factory were very understanding and worked with Mike so that he could set his own schedule. They even helped him raise some much-needed funds.
Then things took a drastic turn for the worse. Just as Mike’s wife was put into hospice care, the owners of the factory announced that they were being forced to close up shop. With so much competition coming in from overseas competitors, there was no way for them to keep the doors open any longer. They still worked with Mike, keeping him on payroll (and on insurance) for as long as they could, but there was only so much that they could do.
It ended up that Mike buried his wife on the same day that the factory closed its door forever. He had no job, no family, and no money. His wife’s illness had eaten through all of their savings and he said that he had exactly $5.38 to his name as he stood at that graveside.
Even as bad as this all sounds, Mike didn’t give up. He found a new job and tried desperately to keep his head above water, but it was not to be. Mike ended up standing on the sidewalk watching the auction of the home that he and his wife had loved so much. And through all of this, this poor man was still trying to cope with the loss of the single most important person in his world. It’s no wonder that his spirit finally broke.
He had nowhere to go, and no one to turn to, so he ended up on the street.
And that is where I met him. While I realize that there is no way for me to fix all that has gone wrong in Mike’s life, I also know that I can make things easier. Right now I am doing everything that I can while I am in town to try and get this man a fresh start. To give him back some hope.
But it’s not just Mike. His story is but one in a million. As I said, this is a problem that most of us are faced with on a daily basis. Why do we continue to blindly ignore it? I know that it is easy to convince yourself that “these people” deserve what has happened to them, but do they? Do you really think that’s true?
And what about all of the kids? The ones that run away from abusive situations, preferring to face the unknown dangers of the streets rather than the monsters in their homes. Do they deserve it?
I guess that I am trying to get you to think. Even if it is just one person, why not try to make a difference in their life? Or even just sit down and listen to their story. You would be amazed at how much it means to just talk to someone like they are an equal.
I’m not talking about moving mountains; I’m just talking about the simple acts of kindness and respect that all people deserve.
After all, if it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to do the same? I did well it may not seem like much, but I stopped on the street and found a random person who looked like he needed a pick up, so he and I took a trip to the barber shop, what fun that was.
Now, I know that most of you tune in to get my take on the lighter side of life, and that’s great. I am all about living in the moment and learning to laugh at yourself. I especially enjoy laughing at myself as I am generally doing, or on the verge of doing, something rather stupid. But even I sometimes find that I must take a step back from the frivolity and face reality in all of its ugly starkness. This is one of those times.
If you have been following my travels then you know that I am currently spending some time soaking in the sites of the city. (Still not going to tell you which one.) And while my time here has been blessed by the amazing people that I have met, I can’t help but feel saddened by what I am seeing as a growing epidemic during my travels. Homelessness.
This is a problem that people like to ignore, mostly because it hits too close to home. After all, how many of you out there reading this are just one mortgage payment away from being on the street yourself? You can be sitting on top of the world one day only to have the rug jerked out from underneath you the next. It’s harsh, but oh so true.
You may be wondering what brought on this train of thought, and I would love to tell you. The story goes something like this:
The other day I was sitting in the park watching my friends in the 22 Crew do their thing when I noticed a man. He was dirty, unkept, and standing alone at the edge of the crowd. You could tell that he didn’t want to bother the others who were enjoying the show, but you could also tell that the music was pulling at him to come closer. I sat and watched this man for some time before finally getting up off my butt and going over to talk to him. I don’t know what it was, but something in me just couldn’t leave it alone.
He was wary of me at first (and who could blame him) but after a bit I convinced him to come and have a bite to eat with me. His name was Mike, and the story that he had to share is one that I think we should all hear.
Mike’s problems started when his wife was diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago. The two of them had never had a lot, but they managed to get by and were happy enough with their lot in life. You see, his wife was working towards here teaching degree, while he worked in a factory in their hometown. The work wasn’t great, but it paid the bills and gave them that much needed medical insurance.
As his wife’s illness progressed, Mike was forced to take more and more time of from work to care for her. Neither one of them had any family to speak of, and their insurance would not pay for in-home nursing care so it was the only option that they had. Luckily the owners of the factory were very understanding and worked with Mike so that he could set his own schedule. They even helped him raise some much-needed funds.
Then things took a drastic turn for the worse. Just as Mike’s wife was put into hospice care, the owners of the factory announced that they were being forced to close up shop. With so much competition coming in from overseas competitors, there was no way for them to keep the doors open any longer. They still worked with Mike, keeping him on payroll (and on insurance) for as long as they could, but there was only so much that they could do.
It ended up that Mike buried his wife on the same day that the factory closed its door forever. He had no job, no family, and no money. His wife’s illness had eaten through all of their savings and he said that he had exactly $5.38 to his name as he stood at that graveside.
Even as bad as this all sounds, Mike didn’t give up. He found a new job and tried desperately to keep his head above water, but it was not to be. Mike ended up standing on the sidewalk watching the auction of the home that he and his wife had loved so much. And through all of this, this poor man was still trying to cope with the loss of the single most important person in his world. It’s no wonder that his spirit finally broke.
He had nowhere to go, and no one to turn to, so he ended up on the street.
And that is where I met him. While I realize that there is no way for me to fix all that has gone wrong in Mike’s life, I also know that I can make things easier. Right now I am doing everything that I can while I am in town to try and get this man a fresh start. To give him back some hope.
But it’s not just Mike. His story is but one in a million. As I said, this is a problem that most of us are faced with on a daily basis. Why do we continue to blindly ignore it? I know that it is easy to convince yourself that “these people” deserve what has happened to them, but do they? Do you really think that’s true?
And what about all of the kids? The ones that run away from abusive situations, preferring to face the unknown dangers of the streets rather than the monsters in their homes. Do they deserve it?
I guess that I am trying to get you to think. Even if it is just one person, why not try to make a difference in their life? Or even just sit down and listen to their story. You would be amazed at how much it means to just talk to someone like they are an equal.
I’m not talking about moving mountains; I’m just talking about the simple acts of kindness and respect that all people deserve.
After all, if it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to do the same? I did well it may not seem like much, but I stopped on the street and found a random person who looked like he needed a pick up, so he and I took a trip to the barber shop, what fun that was.