Sunday, August 18, 2019

Hero's




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.




No comments: