Random story of an immigrant (me)
Since the beginning of this year, I have made it a habit to give at least a few dollars whenever I see a homeless person on the street. I don’t care if it’s a scam or the truth, and I don’t expect anything in return, but just because…
…I appreciate the luck I have.
…I have a warm blanket and a soft mattress to sleep on, I don’t have to rummage through trash cans every day to find food and drinks.
…I don’t have to sleep in tents or public toilets.
…I have a warm coat to wear in the cold weather below 10 degrees Celsius.
…I’m not completely alone, luckily I have a partner who encourages me: “Just stay calm and persevere a little longer…”
Many people whisper in my ear that people become homeless because they are lazy, or for some other reason that is hard to hear. But I have witnessed, sometimes the times push people to the end of the road, because of illness, because of no family, or some great event that makes them unable to recover.
We can never know or understand everything…
And then the layer of dust that obscured my eyes was wiped away…
Every time I see them, I see the shadow of my soul in them from a few years ago. A person who does not know where to hold on to. When there are strangers everywhere. When a smile becomes a luxury. When the heart freezes and is lost.
I see the times when I take a nap in the bathroom, carrying 10 kg of clothes and walking for hours, wearing a few clothes over and over again, with only a few dollars left in my pocket, the times when I paid off billions of debt from a few years ago as too normal.
I give up the habit of thinking about sad things that have passed but cannot be resolved. The increase or decrease in the account does not change the feeling. Enjoy today and don’t worry too much about tomorrow.
I find that hamburgers have never been so delicious. Although it’s not necessarily good for your health, having something to feed yourself is already precious.
I appreciate every little thing that happens to me. My life may have been very lonely, at some point I still feel this way, I still have times when I completely save my own life, but I find life extremely meaningful.
Giving without expecting anything in return, living with that pure and passionate heart again, turns out to be not difficult at all.
After all, we can never measure how far a loving gesture can save people.
Gari.
4/3/2024