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rdwaynewrightWhy is the wind chill negative three degrees? *cries* Well, at least I'm not in the midwest. Poor people, that's gotta suck.
I always worry about the homeless when we have Code Blue conditions. The homeless shelters are often times pretty shitty, so people would rather stay out on the streets than go to what are essentially drug havens. There are two homeless people that I normally pass on my way to work when I walk over the bridge from 30th Street. At least I don't see them outside when it's this cold, but I do worry about them. I think, "Maybe I'll buy them coffee or food today," but I make so little money that I wouldn't be able to feed them every day. I'd feel awful giving them food one day and passing them by with a, "Hi!," the next. However, it seems worse that I give them food no days, as opposed to just feeding them some days.
Maybe that'll be my next job- working with the homeless. I know that a number of people walk the streets talking to the homeless, trying to get them into shelters when it's Code Blue, and giving them blankets and coats. Speaking of which, the most depressing thing was when this man, maybe in his 40s, came into where I work (the Red Cross building) a few months back.
He was apparently just getting back on his feet, I'm thinking that he was a recovering addict, and he had his own little efficiency. Unfortunately, he only had a windbreaker and no winter coat. It was so cold outside that day and he was freezing. The only thing that I and the security guard could do was call around to different shelters and services and see if they had any coats that they could hand out. I don't know if he found help or not because I had to leave. I wish I'd stayed with him.
If my coat hadn't been a work coat and if I wore a larger size, I think I would've given him my coat. I mean, here's a guy that's trying to get his life back together and society is so shitty that he can't even get something so basic as a coat. I know what it's like to be cold and not have clothing that's warm enough- my family always survived on the kindness and donations of others. I hate it, hate it, hate it.
This isn't a worst case scenario, of course, but I just couldn't believe all of the people, including one of my team mates, who just kept walking by and only cared about getting home instead of helping someone in need. At least I did something, even if I couldn't do much. He knew I'd tried, well, believed it anyway, and thanked me. His gratitude was worth it and I like to think maybe I helped to make his day or week a little better. I wonder if he knows that I still think about him and if I believed in any higher power, I'd be praying for him every day. As I'm practically an aethiest, I can only fervently hope that things are working out for him.
It's a bad night to be without a warm coat.
I always worry about the homeless when we have Code Blue conditions. The homeless shelters are often times pretty shitty, so people would rather stay out on the streets than go to what are essentially drug havens. There are two homeless people that I normally pass on my way to work when I walk over the bridge from 30th Street. At least I don't see them outside when it's this cold, but I do worry about them. I think, "Maybe I'll buy them coffee or food today," but I make so little money that I wouldn't be able to feed them every day. I'd feel awful giving them food one day and passing them by with a, "Hi!," the next. However, it seems worse that I give them food no days, as opposed to just feeding them some days.
Maybe that'll be my next job- working with the homeless. I know that a number of people walk the streets talking to the homeless, trying to get them into shelters when it's Code Blue, and giving them blankets and coats. Speaking of which, the most depressing thing was when this man, maybe in his 40s, came into where I work (the Red Cross building) a few months back.
He was apparently just getting back on his feet, I'm thinking that he was a recovering addict, and he had his own little efficiency. Unfortunately, he only had a windbreaker and no winter coat. It was so cold outside that day and he was freezing. The only thing that I and the security guard could do was call around to different shelters and services and see if they had any coats that they could hand out. I don't know if he found help or not because I had to leave. I wish I'd stayed with him.
If my coat hadn't been a work coat and if I wore a larger size, I think I would've given him my coat. I mean, here's a guy that's trying to get his life back together and society is so shitty that he can't even get something so basic as a coat. I know what it's like to be cold and not have clothing that's warm enough- my family always survived on the kindness and donations of others. I hate it, hate it, hate it.
This isn't a worst case scenario, of course, but I just couldn't believe all of the people, including one of my team mates, who just kept walking by and only cared about getting home instead of helping someone in need. At least I did something, even if I couldn't do much. He knew I'd tried, well, believed it anyway, and thanked me. His gratitude was worth it and I like to think maybe I helped to make his day or week a little better. I wonder if he knows that I still think about him and if I believed in any higher power, I'd be praying for him every day. As I'm practically an aethiest, I can only fervently hope that things are working out for him.
It's a bad night to be without a warm coat.
