luke wilson
The Living Force
Hi, I've got a story!
Over the last couple of months, on my daily walking routes, to and from work, I've managed to interact somewhat asymmetrically (not in the same way) with 2 separate homeless people, on a daily basis, both of which I don't know their names.
I'll call the first homeless person, Aaron. Aaron turned up at the bottom of my street at some point in the winter. Every morning on the way to work, I would walk past Aaron sleeping on the ground, just underneath an arch to an entrance to a building. He became somewhat of a regular sight and sure enough, every morning, Aaron was in his spot, sleeping, in really low temperatures and sometimes in wet conditions. Good Samaritans on their morning runs etc would sometimes go to nearby coffee shops and buy Aaron a cup of coffee and some other stuff which they'd place by him so that when he got up, he'd have something to eat. I only used to see Aaron in the morning and as he was asleep, I didn't really interact with him. Did I mention he used to hang his shirt quite neatly on one of the railings?
I then started to see Aaron in the evenings on my way back home standing by one of the corners. He used to stand there, with the impression on his face as if he was waiting for someone. You know, he was stood right on a T square in the main village street, looking up one street, down another etc. He always carried this huge rack sack with his worldly possessions in.
So anyways, I started talking to him, exchanging the occasional hallo, asking him how his night was, whenever it was raining or cold we would talk about the weather. It got to that situation where it was like you'd be walking down the street, oh there is Aaron, you stop chat for abit as if to catch up, with everyone else walking around you both.
It took awhile before Aaron actually asked me for any money. Eventually he did ask me for spare change which I gave him and our relationship was quite amicable. I would stop whenever I saw him and we would talk, in town if he saw me, he would wave etc. Sometimes you'd be walking and you'd hear this shuffling of feet, turn back, and boom, there was Aaron. Or you'd hear shouts coming from across the street and you'd see Aaron frantically waving to say hi.
Anyways, eventually Aaron managed to land himself a place to stay and so isn't sleeping at the bottom of our street and nowadays he's got a bike though you still see him walking around or perched by a cash machine. Regardless, whenever I cross paths with Aaron, we always acknowledge each others existence though we've never actually exchanged names nor have we really spoken about our own individual circumstances.
Homeless person B we will call Tim. I only see Tim at a particular spot in the evenings, by a huge archway, strategically perched by one of the main entry ways to the village. Tim asks everyone who walks by for any spare change. Most people, including me walk just on by. Tim also always makes sure to wish you a good day. Literally, he'd see someone walking by and say "Any spare change", the person would keep on walking and Tim will go, "Have a good day", then he'd repeat to pretty much everyone. I have to say that I feel very guilty for I have never given Tim any change. It has got to such a situation, as I see him pretty much everyday, that he doesn't even ask me. He would for example ask the person infront of me, then skip me, or skip me, then ask the person behind me.
I have to say it's a huge case of internal consideration here that has got me to just walk by. As I see Tim most days and we make eye contact etc, if I give him change one day, then not the second, I feel that will be a huge breach, so I have opted to simply not to. I know, it's not a valid reason.
With Aaron, I did use to give him pocket change, then whenever he got in trouble and needing something that anyone would consider substantial to give to a homeless person, he would stand around and wait for me then ask me. The first time he asked me for something substantial was when he gave me a story about this place he found where he needed to raise £30 but no one would give him anything. Sure enough, I walked over to the nearest cash machine and gave him £30. Most people I told this thought I'd been had. Aaron disappeared for a couple of days and for a moment I thought he was actually telling the truth and there was a mysterious place he had found. But then he turned up again and to be fair, I reasoned to myself that £30 is not enough to solve ones homeless problem. But as I said earlier, since then, he has found a roof to sleep under, got new clothes, a bike etc though you still see him perched on the ground during the day every now and again. Most of the time I see him though, he's always on the move, as if he's got somewhere to be or someone to meet or something to do. Anyways, I don't really have to give him change and he is usually cool if I don't as I don't always have change on me nor does he even ask most of the time.
Anyways, yeah, that's my story about the 2 curious homeless people I encounter regularly.
Over the last couple of months, on my daily walking routes, to and from work, I've managed to interact somewhat asymmetrically (not in the same way) with 2 separate homeless people, on a daily basis, both of which I don't know their names.
I'll call the first homeless person, Aaron. Aaron turned up at the bottom of my street at some point in the winter. Every morning on the way to work, I would walk past Aaron sleeping on the ground, just underneath an arch to an entrance to a building. He became somewhat of a regular sight and sure enough, every morning, Aaron was in his spot, sleeping, in really low temperatures and sometimes in wet conditions. Good Samaritans on their morning runs etc would sometimes go to nearby coffee shops and buy Aaron a cup of coffee and some other stuff which they'd place by him so that when he got up, he'd have something to eat. I only used to see Aaron in the morning and as he was asleep, I didn't really interact with him. Did I mention he used to hang his shirt quite neatly on one of the railings?
I then started to see Aaron in the evenings on my way back home standing by one of the corners. He used to stand there, with the impression on his face as if he was waiting for someone. You know, he was stood right on a T square in the main village street, looking up one street, down another etc. He always carried this huge rack sack with his worldly possessions in.
So anyways, I started talking to him, exchanging the occasional hallo, asking him how his night was, whenever it was raining or cold we would talk about the weather. It got to that situation where it was like you'd be walking down the street, oh there is Aaron, you stop chat for abit as if to catch up, with everyone else walking around you both.
It took awhile before Aaron actually asked me for any money. Eventually he did ask me for spare change which I gave him and our relationship was quite amicable. I would stop whenever I saw him and we would talk, in town if he saw me, he would wave etc. Sometimes you'd be walking and you'd hear this shuffling of feet, turn back, and boom, there was Aaron. Or you'd hear shouts coming from across the street and you'd see Aaron frantically waving to say hi.
Anyways, eventually Aaron managed to land himself a place to stay and so isn't sleeping at the bottom of our street and nowadays he's got a bike though you still see him walking around or perched by a cash machine. Regardless, whenever I cross paths with Aaron, we always acknowledge each others existence though we've never actually exchanged names nor have we really spoken about our own individual circumstances.
Homeless person B we will call Tim. I only see Tim at a particular spot in the evenings, by a huge archway, strategically perched by one of the main entry ways to the village. Tim asks everyone who walks by for any spare change. Most people, including me walk just on by. Tim also always makes sure to wish you a good day. Literally, he'd see someone walking by and say "Any spare change", the person would keep on walking and Tim will go, "Have a good day", then he'd repeat to pretty much everyone. I have to say that I feel very guilty for I have never given Tim any change. It has got to such a situation, as I see him pretty much everyday, that he doesn't even ask me. He would for example ask the person infront of me, then skip me, or skip me, then ask the person behind me.
I have to say it's a huge case of internal consideration here that has got me to just walk by. As I see Tim most days and we make eye contact etc, if I give him change one day, then not the second, I feel that will be a huge breach, so I have opted to simply not to. I know, it's not a valid reason.
With Aaron, I did use to give him pocket change, then whenever he got in trouble and needing something that anyone would consider substantial to give to a homeless person, he would stand around and wait for me then ask me. The first time he asked me for something substantial was when he gave me a story about this place he found where he needed to raise £30 but no one would give him anything. Sure enough, I walked over to the nearest cash machine and gave him £30. Most people I told this thought I'd been had. Aaron disappeared for a couple of days and for a moment I thought he was actually telling the truth and there was a mysterious place he had found. But then he turned up again and to be fair, I reasoned to myself that £30 is not enough to solve ones homeless problem. But as I said earlier, since then, he has found a roof to sleep under, got new clothes, a bike etc though you still see him perched on the ground during the day every now and again. Most of the time I see him though, he's always on the move, as if he's got somewhere to be or someone to meet or something to do. Anyways, I don't really have to give him change and he is usually cool if I don't as I don't always have change on me nor does he even ask most of the time.
Anyways, yeah, that's my story about the 2 curious homeless people I encounter regularly.
)
