The Gift of Water

The vagrant beggar sat crouched on the filthy sidewalk leaning against the exterior of the dollar store called Jack's. He was of Indian descent, maybe in his 60's although being homeless and dirty can disguise the chronological age of a person. He was one of many street people I passed today on my four block walk to CVS. They sit at every corner with their cardboard signs and plastic cups containing a few pennies. Many have their heads down as if they are sleeping or maybe they are high on something. Some lie prostrate with their heads against the nasty ground. Some advertise they are ex-vets or they are pregnant or stuck in New York without a job. Jim and I have been in the city long enough that I recognize many of the street people and I know which corner they hang out at. The smarter ones will perch in front of Starbucks and watch the fortunate ones go in and out for their $5.00 cup of coffee. Some prefer the safety of taking up residence in front of the Catholic Church. After all, there are decent Christians going in and out of the church passing these down-and-out people. Surely they will put a dollar or coin in their cup. I guess it got to me today. It doesn't seem right for me to not give eye contact and it would be so easy for me to keep change in my pocket and drop a coin or two into their cup as I pass. I'm not sure what the solution is. I can't fix or change anything. Sometimes it can be dangerous to give eye contact. Many of the homeless are mentally ill. Many are paranoid. Many talk to themselves and yell out loud as they walk down the street. It can be frightening. So this is my dilemma.

I made it through the hustle and bustle of Koreatown arriving at CVS. I picked up one of Jimmy's medications that he has been fighting the insurance company for the past two days to fill. I walked back stopping into Jack's to buy eight 1 1/2 liter bottles of water. Jim tries to drink two a day to stay hydrated. As I exited Jack's the older Indian man was still crouched against the sidewalk sitting on a milk crate with his plastic cup in hand. I gave him one of the water bottles. I wish I could have captured his look on film. A look of "someone noticed me". It made me feel good too. As I was getting ready to turn into the Hope Lodge I could see three more street people out front of the Catholic Church and I thought about going there but maybe I should think this through and I went inside the Lodge.

Jim was tired today. Today was a day of rest for him. We have been on the go and trying to walk everyday so he listened to his body and rested. I spent many hours in the quiet room on the floor reading and researching on my computer. The days still seem to rush by even when I don't have anything to do. I think when I get back to Virginia there will be an adjustment period where I will have to get used to normalcy again.