Dear Anonymous,
Mike shows up excited. Like a little kid. Can't wait to show me a bag full of rocks he wants to give to folks who have donated. That's you, Dear Anonymous. He chooses one for this person and he asks I make sure they get it. And another for so-and-so.
'This is from all the 'boys'. They gotta know we appreciate this.'
Over coffee, he shares he has an interview for housing next week.
Dear Anonymous,
Over coffee, he shares he has an interview for housing next week.
Winter is closing in soon and this is hopeful news.
Gratitude that he may have a roof soon. Not that a roof is a solution, or an answer to some question we assume to ask. But it is a hell of a start.
I left this morning with 3 large bins of clothing, back packs and shoes.
Dear Anonymous ,
I left this morning with 3 large bins of clothing, back packs and shoes. Socks. Hats. Gloves.Coffee cards. All from you Dear Anonymous. By the end I come home empty handed and full hearted.
He never expected anything. He came by with a few friends to say hello. And was appreciative of the backpack and clothing and socks. A good morning.
'So many people don't look at us. It's like we're not here. Maybe they're scared. Maybe they're afraid we're gonna' ask for something. Everybody's on their phone. We're all livin' in isolation.'
Thankful for the people in my life that have changed the course of their lives toward lives worth living...
Thankful for the people in my life that have changed the course of their lives toward lives worth living; towards lives that breed smiles like this; that make the rest of the world come to life...sometimes against all odds. Pioneers of Recovery.
The holidays can wear on folks and in early recovery they can be particularly challenging. The sun will rise and the sun will set and it will be another day, and that's enough to build a platform of gratitude around. Look into the many recovery based gatherings open to help navigate through the day(s).
I am thankful for you all, for letting me see you.
Plated Up For Today's Special
Plated Up For Today's Special
How It All Fell
How It All Fell
The River of the Scale of This Moment
The River of the Scale of This Moment
You will always be called a weed. I will not listen.
You will always be called a weed. I will not listen.
f/v PERSEUS headed out.
f/v PERSEUS headed out.
Squared off with better instincts.
Squared off with better instincts.
The Underbelly of This Affair
The Underbelly of This Affair
Law Office. Fish Dump. The Working Waterfront.
Law Office. Fish Dump. The Working Waterfront.
He's pissed. Someone stole his bike from the hospital parking lot.
He's pissed. Someone stole his bike from the hospital parking lot. His bike is his everything.
And, the Oxygen Mask Principle was chatted about. That's where you have to put on your own oxygen mask on a plane in the case of a drop in air pressure before you help other passengers....so you don't pass out helping someone else first. How does it relate? Well, he's been doing well lately and distributing clothes and items to other people. But he gave away almost ALL of everything he accumulated and was without adequate clothing this morning. Desperate for some warmth.
'Take care of yourself, buddy. You're no good to anyone else if you're in the same mess as them.', Mike says.
We nod our heads.
Mike takes a handful of backpacks to distribute, as do a couple of the other guys. Mike barks a warning about anyone selling the items. It can certainly happen. The streets are desperate. Mike is pretty fierce about it, but we look at one another knowing it is impossible to control completely and who knows what is really important? The resource always winds up in the right hands. A big letting go of how help has to look.
Meanwhile Mike and another young man introduce me to a young woman who is shaking with cold. She is hesitant but they welcome her and we get her geared up in a lovely hooded thermal sweatshirt, a wool blanket and a few other items. She smiles weakly and walks into the coffee shop.
Mike says sometimes she's a she, but sometimes she's a he, and they get pretty beat up on in the shelter as a result so she's on the street. She commented before she left when I asked her if she'd like more clothing, What is your favorite color? She responds, 'Pink.'
Watching the two of them protecting her.
He stands in the light for me. And this is enough.
Dear Anonymous,
He stands in the light for me. And this is enough.
I bring a turkey dinner. A casserole with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Hot. All homemade.
No one wants any. This is the truth.
'But, you have any of that coffee cake?', one asks.
Everyone on the run. Needing to move. Or agitated. Or needing a drink or a cig or a fix or a strip. As one young man who drops everything at least twice and drops something else each time he picks something up says, 'We're all just human piñatas out here.'
A good lesson. What is needed is not always what we think. It is not always what we believe. Or what will make us feel good. Amen.
That turkey casserole? It found a welcome home elsewhere. Nothing wasted. And deeply appreciated.
The Edginess
The Edginess
In Your Unholy Presence It Was Made Sacred
In Your Unholy Presence It Was Made Sacred
Fish Dump. Law Firm. The Waterfront Working.
Fish Dump. Law Firm. The Waterfront Working.
How You Would Be If I Thought Nothing of It
How You Would Be If I Thought Nothing of It
In the neighborhood.
In the neighborhood.
Sterns and cars and just holding on.
Sterns and cars and just holding on.