A small thing many of us can do
Dec. 24th, 2018 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kate_schaeferI have for many years taken a regular Tuesday walk with a good friend. I have for almost as many years noticed that she gave money to homeless people more often than I did. We never discussed this.
I eventually realized that she was carrying small bills on purpose to give to homeless people, and that I could do that too.
So now I do, and I have conversations with some of the people to whom I give the money. One of the things I say is, I remember when I was homeless. It was more than forty years ago, and I was a student, and I didn't think of myself as homeless; I thought of myself as living illegally in an attic where I had permission to be in the day time but not in the night time. It was bad, but it was nothing compared to how bad it is for these folks, who are not young and who don't have an illegal attic for shelter. I had friends with couches. Eventually I had a place where I could pay rent again, and I haven't been homeless since.
If you can afford it, if it occurs to you, if you encounter a person living on the street, especially an old person living on the street, please consider giving enough for a sandwich or a hot cup of coffee. It will make a difference.
Thank you.
I eventually realized that she was carrying small bills on purpose to give to homeless people, and that I could do that too.
So now I do, and I have conversations with some of the people to whom I give the money. One of the things I say is, I remember when I was homeless. It was more than forty years ago, and I was a student, and I didn't think of myself as homeless; I thought of myself as living illegally in an attic where I had permission to be in the day time but not in the night time. It was bad, but it was nothing compared to how bad it is for these folks, who are not young and who don't have an illegal attic for shelter. I had friends with couches. Eventually I had a place where I could pay rent again, and I haven't been homeless since.
If you can afford it, if it occurs to you, if you encounter a person living on the street, especially an old person living on the street, please consider giving enough for a sandwich or a hot cup of coffee. It will make a difference.
Thank you.
