Perspective and Sweet Tea

My biggest grievance today was that the cashier at Bojangles’ gave me unsweet tea at the drive-thru window. Y’all Southerners understand this travesty.

And then life was put into perspective. At the next stoplight there sat a man in filthy, worn- out fatigues holding a small scrap of cardboard. The words were too faded on the sign to be legible, but one can assume the message they held.

Without thought or hesitation, I handed him everything in my wallet- $1.

I apologized profusely for not having more to give but his reply was most unexpected and heartbreaking. “At least you thought of me.”

He was unconcerned with the amount. He only wanted to be seen, to be recognized, and to be heard as a human instead of what some would call an eyesore interwoven within the landscape of our city. So with no one behind me, I sat through two red lights and listened to his story.

“Ron” had completed several tours in Iraq but came back home to unexpected challenges. He stated: “I had to do some things over there. Terrible things. And it messed me up in the head. My wife left me but I don’t blame her. She didn’t know how to deal with it. I wish there was more help for someone like me who comes back from war and wants to be a part of society. But I don’t know how. I don’t know where to go.”

Sadly, I had no answers.

Eventually the light turned green once more and I had to leave. I went straight to a chain store to purchase items for a care package and then to an ATM for some extra cash hoping he could at least get a hotel room for the night. But when I went back to the stoplight he was no longer there. I drove around the area thinking he may have switched corners but I couldn’t find him.

I’m not concerned with the validity of his story. I don’t care if he hopped into a Cadillac after I left. And I wouldn’t mind one bit if he used the dollar bill I gave him to buy an airplane bottle of liquor. If you see someone in need, then you help them. If they turn out to be anything other than what they present, then that is on their conscious.

I will keep looking for him.

And I’ll never be ungrateful for unsweet tea again.

Side Note-

Example Care Package placed in a gallon zip-lock baggie that you can keep in your car for when you see a homeless individual. Most items can be travel size to help minimize the portability factor.

Toothpaste/brush

Mouthwash

Deodorant

Hand sanitizer

Band-aids

Chapstick

Feminine products

Tissues/hand-wipes

Lightweight snacks/Granola bars/Peanut butter crackers

Socks

Poncho/sunscreen/handwarmers

Cash or Gift Card