Skip to main content

Recession Proof Holiday

Every afternoon I stop at the light at the intersection of 15-501 and I-40 and I talk to the men who panhandle there. It is usually the only interesting moment in my daily commute. This week I asked one of the panhandlers if he and his friends needed anything. I said, “With the holiday coming up do you guys need anything for Christmas?” The man paused and tilted his head as people often do when considering a question. After a few seconds he smiled and said, “Nope. We’re good.”The light changed and I drove away thinking about the irony of panhandlers who do not need anything.

The man I spoke to is one of several people who live in the woods near the interstate ramp and panhandle every day. Most of these people have lived near the same interstate highway ramp for years. They sleep in tents regardless of the weather. They share their limited resources and help each other out. Their lifestyle is not easy or healthy. Several of the panhandlers have died from serious illnesses or have been murdered over the past few years.

Still, these unusual people have the potential and the willingness to teach the rest of us an interesting lesson. We fret about holiday preparation in the midst of an historic economic crisis and worry about a future in which we may not have “enough.” The panhandlers do not worry about the recession at all. They might not even know that it is going on. They have redefined “enough” to match what they have.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Raison D’etre

It's not a lot But it's what I got Hope it'll last Not go too fast Some comin’ in Some goin' out Leavin' me just about Enough to break even So I can keep seein' A decent balance to be bequeathin’ To two fine young men Who are my best reason For Bein’ Here Now.
Post a Comment
Read more

Still Here

My father, George died twenty-eight years ago of heart disease. He died when he was the same age as I am now. Near the end of his life he said to me, “There’s worse things than dying.” I asked him what was worse and he replied, “Being a burden to my family.” He died shortly afterward and relieved himself of that concern. In the subsequent years I have come to realize that I did not lose my father. Nor have I lost my mother who died in 2019. I continue to experience a connection with both of them. The connection is more than just a memory. I feel their essence any time that I pay attention to it. I suspect it’s always there even when I am not aware. I call the connection to my father George Consciousness. When in George Consciousness I experience a moment or an event from what feels like his unique perspective. Given his sense of humor those moments are usually very funny. I am grateful that both of my parents are Still Here.
3 comments
Read more

Eating from the Same Plate

I wonder what and I wonder who Could ever unite the Red and the Blue. I’ve lived in a sea of Red and I’ve lived in a sea of Blue. I know people on both sides who are good  and some who are bad, too. In many ways it doesn’t matter if we are Red or if we are Blue.  We all love our families and we all love our friends  We all help our neighbors and we’ve all worked hard for the money we spend None of us feel good about the feelings of hate Cause in reality we are just eating from different sides of the same plate. Let’s not be duped. Let’s not be conned By the screens that we watch that profit by leading us on. There’s lots money made by buying and selling hate I hope we remember who we are before it’s too late.
Post a Comment
Read more