All right before we get into happy silly story mode, I'd like to tell a very sad story that just pulls at every heart string I possess.
On Wednesday I was in Royal Oak at my work, and I stepped out to have a cigarette. As I was outside I noticed a young girl, wearing only a hoody in the bitter cold, with her face buried in her hands, and it sounded like she was crying.
I went over to her and asked her if everything was all right and she said "I'm just cold, hey can I bum a cigarette."
After giving her a cigarette she walked away, and I went back inside. While inside I started wondering to myself if she was homeless. She seemed like it, and when I looked outside she was across the street huddled in a doorway. At that point I decided to to bring her a hot chocolate to try and warm her up. II gave her the hot chocolate, and we started talking. She was 18, her name was Rosie, and she'd been homeless since she was 14.
Now I was homeless in the same city for 3 years, and let me telll you, it was tough. The winters are cold, and the people more the most part unfriendly, so I felt bad, gave her $10, amd invited her in to warm up, where we proceeded to talk for almost 2 hours. We talked about being homeless, where we slept, how we survived.
From personal experience, I've found that once you give up hope for your life, you're done for. I've seen to many people fall into the pit of self despair, and it's nigh impossible to escape from. This girl seemed to be teetering on the edge, and there was nothing I could do about it. The options in my area are limited, I am one of the lucky few who made it out alive and well. The fact that the authorities around here don't give a damn about these "street rats" as they are called, doesn't help at all. The police beat them up, steal what little money they have lots of the time, and run them out of town.
Anyways, in the end, all I could do was give her the money, some encouraging words and examples of people who made their lives better, and an offer of atleast a warm place to be for a little while. I truly wish I could do more, but I am not in a financial position to be able to. I've gone and talked to the city council and the mayor before, and even got a standing ovation for the little speech I gave, but in the end it was all in vain.
So, if you've made it all the way to the end of this, I just want to say, if you see a teenager on the street begging for money, don't walk away. You don't know what they've been through, and you don't know what sort of impact a little of your time, some kind words, and maybe a dollar will do for them and mean to them. It could be more kindness than they've seen from anyone in their whole life.
I don't know what's going to happen to Rosie, but I hope for the best for her. I do know that people showed me kindness when I was homeless, and feel I've become a great person because of it.
All right, so hopefully that gives you something to think about. Now on to the stupid stuff...
- They laquered the floor of a business in the same as my work, and we share the same vents as them. So in other words, the place reeked completely. Not a very good thing when you sell pastries. On the other hand, I felt DAMN good for a little while.
- It's a damn good thing I'm getting new glasses. I fell asleep with my old ones on the other night and bent the shit out of them.
- The song "Take My Breath Away" is stupid. What a dumb girl, if I took her breath away she'd suffocate and die. Duh.
- Did you hear about the Pepsi exec who got fired? He tested positive for Coke.
- Considering the amount of caffeine and yellow #5 I drink, I'm never gonna be able to have children.
- Emo is the new goth.
- I'm having the black girl at my work teach me how to be ghetto. She taught me a new phrase, "Don't stunt!" I have no idea what this means, nonetheless it it entertaining to say in almost any situation. Try it.
Due to the fact I wrote a long depressing story at the start, I will not share a funny stupid story out of my life this blog. My apologies.
On Wednesday I was in Royal Oak at my work, and I stepped out to have a cigarette. As I was outside I noticed a young girl, wearing only a hoody in the bitter cold, with her face buried in her hands, and it sounded like she was crying.
I went over to her and asked her if everything was all right and she said "I'm just cold, hey can I bum a cigarette."
After giving her a cigarette she walked away, and I went back inside. While inside I started wondering to myself if she was homeless. She seemed like it, and when I looked outside she was across the street huddled in a doorway. At that point I decided to to bring her a hot chocolate to try and warm her up. II gave her the hot chocolate, and we started talking. She was 18, her name was Rosie, and she'd been homeless since she was 14.
Now I was homeless in the same city for 3 years, and let me telll you, it was tough. The winters are cold, and the people more the most part unfriendly, so I felt bad, gave her $10, amd invited her in to warm up, where we proceeded to talk for almost 2 hours. We talked about being homeless, where we slept, how we survived.
From personal experience, I've found that once you give up hope for your life, you're done for. I've seen to many people fall into the pit of self despair, and it's nigh impossible to escape from. This girl seemed to be teetering on the edge, and there was nothing I could do about it. The options in my area are limited, I am one of the lucky few who made it out alive and well. The fact that the authorities around here don't give a damn about these "street rats" as they are called, doesn't help at all. The police beat them up, steal what little money they have lots of the time, and run them out of town.
Anyways, in the end, all I could do was give her the money, some encouraging words and examples of people who made their lives better, and an offer of atleast a warm place to be for a little while. I truly wish I could do more, but I am not in a financial position to be able to. I've gone and talked to the city council and the mayor before, and even got a standing ovation for the little speech I gave, but in the end it was all in vain.
So, if you've made it all the way to the end of this, I just want to say, if you see a teenager on the street begging for money, don't walk away. You don't know what they've been through, and you don't know what sort of impact a little of your time, some kind words, and maybe a dollar will do for them and mean to them. It could be more kindness than they've seen from anyone in their whole life.
I don't know what's going to happen to Rosie, but I hope for the best for her. I do know that people showed me kindness when I was homeless, and feel I've become a great person because of it.
All right, so hopefully that gives you something to think about. Now on to the stupid stuff...
- They laquered the floor of a business in the same as my work, and we share the same vents as them. So in other words, the place reeked completely. Not a very good thing when you sell pastries. On the other hand, I felt DAMN good for a little while.
- It's a damn good thing I'm getting new glasses. I fell asleep with my old ones on the other night and bent the shit out of them.
- The song "Take My Breath Away" is stupid. What a dumb girl, if I took her breath away she'd suffocate and die. Duh.
- Did you hear about the Pepsi exec who got fired? He tested positive for Coke.
- Considering the amount of caffeine and yellow #5 I drink, I'm never gonna be able to have children.
- Emo is the new goth.
- I'm having the black girl at my work teach me how to be ghetto. She taught me a new phrase, "Don't stunt!" I have no idea what this means, nonetheless it it entertaining to say in almost any situation. Try it.
Due to the fact I wrote a long depressing story at the start, I will not share a funny stupid story out of my life this blog. My apologies.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
and no, i'm not in jail. thank god!
damn the man, save the empire.