Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
When I was 20, I returned from a year spent mostly on a sail boat (Dad was in his mid-life crisis and reluctantly took his kids with him for half the trip.) Enrolled again at UC Boulder. Couldn't adjust to how fast everything was going, couldn't relate to anyone. Only had tuition for one semester. Got fired from my Jewish Deli sandwich making job - couldn't remember what went in what sandwich. Dropped out, got a job at Burger King, and bought a car for $350. Couldn't afford rent so moved into the car. Wasn't long before I quit the job. Started to sit on one of the park benches on Pearl Street and met the local homeless crowd. They took care of me and protected me. I bought the beer and plenty of fortified wine. Had some savings...spent 3 months allowing myself $5/day and donated plasma twice a week for $16. Got popped for public drinking and spent 2 nights in jail. Judge didn't buy my argument that I was just drinking "in my living room." Most comfortable 2 nights all summer. In part, it was a social experiment to figure out how to live without money. I was in massive rebellion against everything. I was lucky. I had a car. I had a sleeping bag. I had $5/day. I had enough money in the bank to buy a plane ticket outta there when winter came. Took me awhile to recover. One of the homeless "crowd" died that summer of alcoholism - we found him lying up against a wall. Wrote this poem that I've never forgotten: I'm on the Night Train Express With my Mad Dog Drinking Wild Irish Rose Waiting for my Thunderbird to pick me up at the station. I panhandled once. A woman gave me her baby and I held it and walked around with another guy posing as a family. Some sweet woman gave us $20. I felt so guilty. Learned some good lessons that summer about people and humanity. > > From: authfriend >To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com >Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2011 1:05 PM >Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent > > > >When I lived in New York City, there was a panhandler who had staked out the >corner of my block. I always gave him a buck when I walked by. He always >thanked me profusely, and after awhile we got to having short conversations. >He was not in good shape physically and was clearly deteriorating. But he was >a real charmer with a wonderful smile and a sense of humor, and we developed a >friendship that was somehow independent of the fact that I was giving him >money. Only trouble was, that made both of us feel awkward about the financial >transaction. > >One day when we met he was holding a tattered shopping bag. He reached in and >handed me a rather nice small china teapot. It had a tiny chip in the handle; >he had apparently rescued it from the trash. > >My first instinct was to refuse it and tell him to sell it for a couple bucks. >Then I realized he needed to give me something. I took it and made a big fuss >over it, told him I had been wanting a teapot, and this was a lovely one. I >swear he grew a couple inches taller right in front of me. > >After that, the awkwardness was gone. But he grew more and more frail, and a >month or so later, he was gone from the corner and never showed up again. > >I still have the teapot. > >--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: >> >> One of the real homeless that walks the street downtown and sleeps in >> the park is a schizophrenic who a couple years back found an abandoned >> baby. His act was well publicized and he received many gifts and even >> job offers (which he turned down). I was sitting at Starbucks and he >> came wandering by showing a bag of homemade beef jerky someone had given >> him and asked if I wanted some. >> >> OTOH, we do have some panhandling folks as soon as they have even change >> for a can of malt liquor head to the store to get exactly that. At the >> end of the day they head back to their apartment around the corner. >> >> On 11/19/2011 08:22 AM, marekreavis wrote: >> > In my experience working with street people and others who are extremely >> > poor, they frequently share whatever meager resources that are available >> > to them with others, even strangers. >> > >> > That's not to imply that the poor are saints, but when you're constantly >> > aware of how precarious your existence is, you recognize it in others' >> > situation, as well. Sharing is natural. >> > >> > It's a recognition of commonality. >> > >> > *** >> > >> > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, merudanda wrote: >> >> a poetical Christmas touch of Santa Claus over weightiness - no >> >> documentary intended >> >> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" wrote: >> >>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wgm4u" anitaoaks4u@ wrote: >> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall wrote: >> > >> >> http://www.flickspire.com/m/Share_This/changeforadollar?lsid=161f9da9b76 >> >> | Reply to
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmQHrhxA_kI From: Tom Pall To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2011 10:40:57 AM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 1:14 PM, Bhairitu wrote: One of the real homeless that walks the street downtown and sleeps in >the park is a schizophrenic who a couple years back found an abandoned >baby. His act was well publicized and he received many gifts and even >job offers (which he turned down). I was sitting at Starbucks and he >came wandering by showing a bag of homemade beef jerky someone had given >him and asked if I wanted some. > >OTOH, we do have some panhandling folks as soon as they have even change >for a can of malt liquor head to the store to get exactly that. At the >end of the day they head back to their apartment around the corner. > > > Remember that kurt Vonnegut got some real mileage about a certain bag lady. Herb Caen told some interesting stories about bag ladies he encountered on the sidewalks of San Francisco. One day Herb went into Emporium Kapwell and bought a bag lady some very nice stockings to keep her feet warm in Winter. She refused the socks but wanted every bag Herb had with him. Caen informed us that bag ladies were actually couriers of secret documents. BTW, I've seen some other videos on Youtube with this homeless man. In one of them he wasn't making more than a few cents a day. So a nice looking young lady came up, turned the cardboard over and wrote some really compelling copy on it. Henceforth the guy was racking in the cash. The title was something like "It all depends on how you say it" or something like that.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 1:14 PM, Bhairitu wrote: > One of the real homeless that walks the street downtown and sleeps in > the park is a schizophrenic who a couple years back found an abandoned > baby. His act was well publicized and he received many gifts and even > job offers (which he turned down). I was sitting at Starbucks and he > came wandering by showing a bag of homemade beef jerky someone had given > him and asked if I wanted some. > > OTOH, we do have some panhandling folks as soon as they have even change > for a can of malt liquor head to the store to get exactly that. At the > end of the day they head back to their apartment around the corner. > > Remember that kurt Vonnegut got some real mileage about a certain bag lady. Herb Caen told some interesting stories about bag ladies he encountered on the sidewalks of San Francisco. One day Herb went into Emporium Kapwell and bought a bag lady some very nice stockings to keep her feet warm in Winter. She refused the socks but wanted every bag Herb had with him. Caen informed us that bag ladies were actually couriers of secret documents. BTW, I've seen some other videos on Youtube with this homeless man. In one of them he wasn't making more than a few cents a day. So a nice looking young lady came up, turned the cardboard over and wrote some really compelling copy on it. Henceforth the guy was racking in the cash. The title was something like "It all depends on how you say it" or something like that.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
One of the real homeless that walks the street downtown and sleeps in the park is a schizophrenic who a couple years back found an abandoned baby. His act was well publicized and he received many gifts and even job offers (which he turned down). I was sitting at Starbucks and he came wandering by showing a bag of homemade beef jerky someone had given him and asked if I wanted some. OTOH, we do have some panhandling folks as soon as they have even change for a can of malt liquor head to the store to get exactly that. At the end of the day they head back to their apartment around the corner. On 11/19/2011 08:22 AM, marekreavis wrote: > In my experience working with street people and others who are extremely > poor, they frequently share whatever meager resources that are available to > them with others, even strangers. > > That's not to imply that the poor are saints, but when you're constantly > aware of how precarious your existence is, you recognize it in others' > situation, as well. Sharing is natural. > > It's a recognition of commonality. > > *** > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, merudanda wrote: >> a poetical Christmas touch of Santa Claus over weightiness - no >> documentary intended >> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" wrote: >>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wgm4u" anitaoaks4u@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Tom Pall wrote: > >> http://www.flickspire.com/m/Share_This/changeforadollar?lsid=161f9da9b76\ >> 92b6854ca64548e80ab61 Amazing how heavy that guy is living on chump change, isn't it? >>> Actually poor people are often overweight because they >>> eat what's cheapest and most filling, which is typically >>> high in fat and calories and starch--spaghetti and >>> potatoes and hamburgers rather than whole grains and >>> fruits and veggies and lean meat. >>> >>> But you've sort of glancingly touched on a false note in >>> the film. Obviously the guy has been able to provide for >>> himself--he's not starving to death--but we never see how. >>> > >
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
From: turquoiseb >>>...the performance of small acts of kindness and compassion as a way of affecting change. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBy3wAEOn8
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: A very touching 10 minutes, well spent
On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 7:42 AM, turquoiseb wrote: I knew a Quaker during the later part of the Vietnam War. He was performing alternate service as a security guard at a hospital. I got to know him very well. He never mentioned the war, never mentioned his alternate service. I got to meet his parents. All nice people, neither overly humble nor promoting their ways and their faith. Few people have influenced me in their lives as much as this young man and his family. It wasn't any big thing at all. More likely it was the way they carried themselves, their restraint in very tumultuous times in a very tumultuous part of the country. I learned from then to practice little "good works" just by inspiration of being with them. It was never stated but it was obvious they had no desire to change or save the world. Just interject a little bit of good, a little bit of kindness into the world. Believing you can do or accomplish more gets one into the sin of huffing yourself up. I remembered my brief "Quaker upbringing" when I watched the video.
