Home-Homeless
April 30th, 2005 bySo I took a break on a footbridge over the river today. Today being the day that I received my official title for my house in the mail… it was so uneventful, just a plain white envelope. While I’m standing there on the bridge a guy with a shopping cart rolls up and remarks “Man, what a nice day!”. Yeah, it is a nice day. Sun is shining and the river is, thankfully, still flowing beneath my feet.
For the next hour I talk with this man about a lot of different things. We talked about how he ended up on the streets, how he ended up in Eugene, how hard it is to find work here, and how most charity comes with strings attached. It was just a normal conversation between two strangers but it put my head in perspective. He was 52. Dave is 52 and has been living on the streets for 2 and a half years.
I don’t give enough recognition to the things I am thankful for in my life. I’m a mere 30 years old and it feels at times like I’ve “made it”. Made it through divorce, the death of a parent, the loss of good friends, sickness, adversity, financial hardship and depression. But it’s not like once you’re through it, all that stuff stays away for good. I have no damn idea what’s going to happen next week let alone when I’m 49 1/2 years old. I don’t foresee myself on the streets panhandling, but I doubt that Dave did either.