The natives are getting restless and I'm one of them. I'm still picking up litter, but the blogstation now has ridiculous amounts of newspaper on the ground each day, mainly from the three new free papers. I'm getting frustrated and annoyed. I'm thinking - I take some pictures and send a letter to each of the three newspaper owners and ask what the blazes are they going to do about it.
In our town there are increasing numbers of people on the street asking for change. I get asked at least a dozen times a day. Yesterday there was a forlorn unkempt looking man, holding an empty styrofoam cup with a simple sign that stated "Hungry." I'll call him Jerome. I've seen him many times before, panhandling in the downtown area. He's aged between 30 and 50, it's very hard to tell, as he's ravaged by illness, and not able to stand straight.
Yesterday Jerome was in the underground mall where the security guards usually stop the likes of him from entering. I reckoned he had five minutes before they'd come along, sweep him out of the mall and shut the door. I walked past him, feeling very uncomfortable. I got about 30 yards, and could not go on without doing something. I bought a couple of muffins and went back to him. As I approached, another woman was giving him a sandwich. I gave him the muffins. At least he would get a meal today. He did not look me in the eye, but smiled, head bowed and thanked me. I walked on again, feeling like crying. Jerome has made some bad choices in his life, and he's probably still making bad choices. I wondered why I acted today and not the other times I had seen him. It had to do with hunger and desperation staring me in the face. And the fact that I could give him what he was asking for rather than some loose change that would probably be spent on something other than muffins.
3 comments:
Hello again M. Glad to see you back! Yes, this homeless problem is right out of hand and it does make you feel uncomfortable when you don't give them 'spare change'. I think you did the right thing with the muffins.
Also, about those newspapers. It's totally ridiculous. Not only are they littering the streets but on the buses you see them discarded too. And to me, they serve no purpose as it's old stale repeated news from the dailies. I hope your letters have some affect. Maybe we all ought to be doing this?
Bless you, my child.
Wynn, as always, many thanks for your comments. Maybe with have a grassroots anti newspaper mogul campaign in the making...!
And Your Eminence, I'm highly honoured that you've dropped in from the Vatican. Now, would you kindly go and clean up the Catholic Church please and we're not talking litter here.
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