Bums-----What Do You Think of Them? (page 6)

anewme

Here in my home town we dont have a visible homeless problem. But Im sure there are the homeless. The Catholic Church across from the library hands out grocery sacks of free food every Wednesday.
I have heard there is a line waiting for the help.

For two years there was a guy who hung out near a shopping center. He looked to be in his 30s with a bright reddish beard. He was a large man who always wore a very thick hooded jacket even on the hottest days.

He stood and stared all day at the comings and goings of his town. He never held a sign nor did he speak a word to anyone. Yet there were offerings left of food and drink and blankets and books all around his encampment next to the gas station.

I inquired at the gas station about him. They were nice people from Vietman there and they told me he was a quiet man who bothered no one. A couple times a day he used the bathroom and then resumed his position of standing looking out onto the street. They added that a couple times a year someone takes him away to bathe him and return him but he always returns to the street.

I assumed he was schizophrenic and probably separated from a loving family.
We live in a good and decent town and yet this poor soul stood or sat daily in the blazing sun in a winter jacket all day and lay down in the same filthy spot at night to sleep like some lost dog.

I was new to the town and so was new to seeing this man daily at the shopping center. But like everyone else in his town I grew accustomed to his presence near the weeds next to the gas station. It was almost comforting to see him every time I came into town to mail a letter or pick up something at the grocery.
It became summer and the temperatures increased into the 100s. I told my husband that when I went into town that day I was going to buy that man a nice cold something from the store. He approved. So that was my plan.

There he was as I pulled into the shopping center. In the store I spent some time choosing a quality fruit juice with no added questionable high fructose concentrate. I also added some chewy health bars and a couple of crisp fresh apples to the afternoon snack for my hobo.

As I stepped out into the heat from the store I practiced how I would approach this bum, this hobo.
There he was laying on his side like some garden troll in his hooded jacket with no tree for shade.
My heart ached to relieve his suffering a bit that day!
I said "hello"
He startled and I saw I took him by surprise. He looked at me fearfully like some scared animal.
I told him I bought him some cold drinks and delicious snacks because I was worried about him it being nearly 100 degrees. I blathered on about the dangers of heat stroke or something. But I could tell he was not following alot of that. I handed him the cold juice and bag of goodies. He thanked me in such a sweet way! I asked him his name and he said "Rick". My bum, my hobo, my garden troll had a name!! Rick!!!!!
Well, I blathered on again about how the people of the town care about him and how I care about him and how I bought the sodas etc bla bla bla. He opened the ice cold juice and chugged down the cooling liquid and I felt so happy!!!!! I will never forget the exhilerating feeling to offer relief to such a needy person.

But I only did that once. I saw "Rick" many times after that. I filled my car at the pump and there he was, my garden troll Rick. Wait, I did buy him some shirts at the Good Will and dropped those by when with my husband. He managed a thankyou but I dont think he ever wore them.
Then one day he was gone, gone for good. I thought, maybe they came to bathe him again and he would return. But no, not this time. After years on the streets of Our Town America, Rick the homeless guy is gone.

I wonder how many other people like myself think of him every time they come into town and look at the place where he used to live between the shopping center and the gas station. His little island of weeds under the light post in plain view of the entire town. In summer he roasted there. In winter rains he slept under a blue tarp.

Now on another corner of our town sits a woman about my age but very thin and very wrinkled. She too holds no sign nor speaks, but sits silently in her desperate deplorable condition.
The traffic stopped and I found myself within feet of her. I got out and gave her five dollars. I had more but I was cautious. She smiled and gave me a genuine thankyou and bared a mouth missing her two front teeth. Then she said "God bless you dear"

I felt a mixture of shame, fear, and pity as I quickly got back into my car. But most of all I felt good and grateful for her sweet blessing. After all, getting dfd and thrown out as trash myself fairly recently it felt really good to have someone bless me or ask God to bless me. I felt she and I had more in common maybe than it would appear.

let's all do something mad and ask homeless people if they have any spare change

I did something like that once.

I was on the train from Lower Manhattan to Upper Manhattan.

It had been a long day. I was beat and irritated.

The "bum" put his cup of change in my face. I took it out of his hands and said "thank you".

Everyone that saw it had a good laugh, including the "bum".

Of course I gave it back to him. LOL!

Glad he didn't piss on you.

Nah. He was a kind and friendly "bum".

Bet he had fun telling his buddies that story.

minimus

Nuthin' better than "a friendly bum".

Bums-----What Do You Think of Them?

anewme

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