Monday, August 2, 2010

homeless?


One thing that caught me off guard immediately when I moved up here - that showed I was in a much bigger city - is the amount of homeless people scattered about.

On my walk to work - check. 
Walk to lunch - check. 
Walk back to parking garage - check. 
Even on the way home from work - in my own neighborhood - check.

It's very sad, but somehow I've just gotten used to it.

However, I was caught even more off guard a couple weeks ago when my roommate and I were driving to the gym and saw a group of 5 of the regular homeless in our part of town hop into a new red Matrix station wagon. What? Who paid for their new car!?

And then again today, I saw a woman that stands by the nail salon set down her sign, walk up towards the shops, take out a cigarette, and then flip open her cell phone! Where do they send this phone bill - she's "homeless" after all?

I am so confused. Even if they aren't "homeless" - I feel bad that these people have given up. They spend their days sitting out in the sun - the 90+ degree sun - when they could be contributing so much more to society. 

And if they are homeless, obviously my heart breaks even more for them. I know it's not my business, but I do want to know more - where do they come from? how did they get to this place in their lives? how can they get back on track? where are their families? 


The lonely, tired women I see every day on my drive home are on my heart tonight. Although I have become used to seeing many homeless in my daily routine, it doesn't make me any less sad for them.

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