Day Momo (Des Moments) August 1st-15th
7 Things Life Changing Lesson From 3 Homeless People
24 Hours. 3 homeless people. Me.
They were ratty, wretched, dirty, filthy, smelly, homeless people. I had in depth conversations with each of them.
You are asking why? Fair question.
The answer: It was by chance. I allowed it to happen. I wasn’t searching to speak with homeless people. All three approached me. Their names were Rob, Frank, and Dee. I accepted their company. That’s how the conversations started.
I live in downtown Miami, the heart of the city. I reside in an urban area. There are many homeless people in Miami, particularly in my area, downtown.
Typically, when confronted by a homeless person, I would give them some change, and then hastily walk away. Other times, I would completely brush then off. Depending how stressful my day, sometimes, I would give them the cold shoulder, ignoring them completely.
But this time I allowed them to engage me in conversation.
I didn’t feel obligation. I didn’t feel compelled. I didn’t feel good will. I didn’t feel any compassion to give them some attention, or give them a life lesson.” I wasn’t trying to do a good deed for the day.
I just allowed them to enter in my space.
Why?
The truth is, I was not going to change my location. I was in a state of relaxation, or exhaustion at the time, and I did not want to move because a homeless person approached me.
I just accepted their company. As I let them enter into my space, I completely opened myself up to the situation. I said to my self, “I’m not changing my World right now, and if my World involves a homeless person, so be it.” I allowed them to talk to me. I responded to them without judgment. I made eye contact. I paid attention to my listening, to my eye contact, to my actions towards them. I said, “let me try opening to them in this moment.”
Now, your waiting for the next clichéd line of inspiration or altruism, right? That line is wait–you guessed it: “I embraced them” or “I changed them” or “I inspired them.”
Bullshit.
I certainly didn’t embrace them at all. I was not doing this to perform an act of inspiration, or altruism. I was too tired, and too lazy to move. I remember, at first, I felt an elevated heat of emotion rise in my body coming from the agitation. As they sat next to me, and I could smell their filth, I was tempted to walk away and leave.
But I didn’t move.
Instead I accepted my current situation, and engaged them.
But, by doing so, I learned something profound from each one of them….
To be Continued…… Part 2……The 3 Stories: Story 1: Rob and I on the Train……
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