Hero's
On the Streets....
You
encounter all walks of life on the street.... when you live on the
streets;
you
notice more, experience more, witness more than most people
ever will in their lives.
A
Tale of Two Cities comes to mind… “It was the Best of Times, It
was the Worst of Times...”…
But
when you live on the streets, the best is no longer available to you.
And it becomes
much
more than a “Tale of Two Cities...”… it becomes numerous
cities, too many to count,
and
where there is a never-ending stream of Tales to tell; tales that
devastate,
mesmerize,
lift, brighten, and shatter your life in so many ways.
I've
found that when you really need something, it is those living on the
streets
that
are willing to share and help however they can. The ones who
experience
life
on the barest fringes of living are the most helpful and giving.
Hero's,
everyday folks, living without a home. Some of the truest hero's you
will ever meet.
Life
is not supposed to be defeating.... it's meant to uplift and inspire.
But when you live
on
the Streets, life pummels you to a pulp, pummeling the very life out
of you.
That
is where the true hero's shine through. People who can really relate
to the Blessings and
Challenges
one faces without a home.... without a place to get much needed
rest.... but rather,
nights
that are continually disturbed, having no place to store, prepare or
cook meals,
having
absolutely no privacy at any point when you have no home.
When
you are fully present, but invisible to the Main Streams of
Society... you learn the
fine
art of disappearing in plain sight. And it becomes the Homeless's
super powers.
Blending
into the Scenery so well, we become part of the landscape and are
no
longer seen as living, feeling, breathing beings.
Homeless
know where other Homeless are...
but
we are non-existent to the masses.
And
thereby, unseen, disappearing in plain sight.
Becoming
witnesses of everything; Some
good, a whole lot of bad, and
everything in
between is what you
experience living on the streets…
that holds for
Law
Enforcement, as well. You will experience some good, some truly bad,
and
a lot of everything in between. How they act and respond toward you
tells
you a whole lot of who they are as a person.
And
a few select individuals in Law Enforcement become Hero's to those of
us on the streets.
I
have experienced a few of these Hero's in Law Enforcement, very few,
to be sure,
but
a few nonetheless, who have made life, my life, on the streets much
more
tolerable
by paying for services and products that I could not have afforded or
taken
care of otherwise. Things that help to get me on my way. And when
you are
forced into
a circumstance not of your choosing, and have limited or no income,
getting even the necessary
things for everyday living; soap, shampoo, food,
clothing, bedding…
fuel, supplies, things
most people take for granted,
that are not readily available to you
when you have no home
and
need to get these items, and find some way to carry them, day-in,
day-out
to use wherever
you go, because you never know where you will be
from one moment from
the next.
Every
once in while you will encounter a Hero that takes the time to listen
and offer
whatever support
they are able to. Perhaps that is just to take the time to greet you
with a “Hi,
how are you?” and actually mean it and want to hear your answer.
They
take the time to understand how you came to live without a home,
and
especially living
without a home for so long.
So
here’s to all the Hero’s who bring Humanity to the forefront.
They
lift the ceaseless shadows for a brief moment, allow the
light
to filter through the darkness.