Dear Anonymous,
He fell asleep yesterday on a bench near the ferry terminal (says he was drunk). The fellow standing next to us today was passing by and saw 'the sharks circling'. That would be people planning on stealing our friends' backpack. So he takes the backpack preemptively and stashes it in a 'safe spot'. Later on he delivers it back to him. This morning he has his pack back. He smiles in gratitude. Someone at his back.
Sometimes love looks like this.
The Rose Man
Dear Anonymous,
The Rose Man, our street nickname for him, is working hard toward sobriety. I don't know if this is something he has battled over and over and over in his life or if this is a first or second solid attempt. I don't know. He recently shaved his head and I admit, I thought he looked great.
He stops by for a coffee card. He takes very little, though he does indulge in a piece of coffee cake.
It is his value not to take more than he immediately needs. It is his stand. His boundary.He is the anti-hoarder.
And it was a gift to me, that he offered himself in the light for a straight on photo.
I just love him for that moment, this one wildly vulnerable fraction of a second when we are seen...even with the accompanying panic in our hearts and heads about self worth, and appearance, and shame, and pride and EVERYTHING.
This dear heart, who struggles, could use a lift today.
Dear Anonymous,
This dear heart, who struggles, could use a lift today. For all the smiles he provides I'm not sure there's one in there for himself.