The Gift

The Gift

It's been awhile since I posted anything to my blog. You know how it goes, big intentions and then reality steps in and shows you just how much time you don't have to do things like write pages of random thoughts. Between work, kids, girlfriend, the holidays, and now a new musical project, time is a scarce commodity.

But today I find myself with the need to write - to confess really. You see, the other night, I took advantage of someone. I know that sounds really bad, so let me explain. It was more like I found myself in a situation whereby there was an exchange with another individual, and I got by far the better of the deal. Still confused? Let me go back a few more steps...

There I was, doing a little shopping at Target. The bottle of body wash that I that I keep in my gym bag had run dry, and I was tired of using the crappy soap they have in the dispensers at the gym. Plus, I had run out of snack size Ziplock bags, so I had been letting my kids get a hot lunch at school rather than packing their lunch like I usually do. I also needed to get some Granola bars for their lunches too.

Body Wash. Ziplock Bags. Granola Bars....

I had something else on my mind. The day prior, I had been speaking to the executive director of The Modesto Gospel Mission. MGM is the primary charity that feeds and shelters the local homeless population, and I had been working on an idea to help raise donations though my business to help out.

Body Wash. Ziplock Bags. Granola Bars. Helping the Homeless...

One more component. I had a $100.00 bill in my wallet. I had been saving it as “fun” money to take my girlfriend out to make up for the fact that I had to work all Thanksgiving weekend.

Body Wash. Ziplock Bags. Granola Bars. Helping the Homeless. $100.00 Bill....

And then it all came together. I remembered something I had seen on Facebook several months ago where someone had put together “goodie” bags for Homeless people. Contained within the bags were basic essentials that You and I might take for granted, but that a Homeless person would treasure. As I stood in the aisle of mens grooming products, I looked to my right and saw a wall full of travel sized cosmetic and hygiene products.

I loaded up my basket with travel sized toothpaste, hand sanitizer, tissue packs, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, and sanitary wipes. 2 aisles over were the Ziplock bags and in addition to the snack sized bags, I bought a box of gallon sized bags.

Then I headed over to the snack area and bought boxes of raisins, granola bars, protein bars, squeezable applesauce, and fruit snacks. I bought anything that would be easy to eat, didn’t require refrigeration, and packed calories, carbs, or protein.

I took my supplies to the check out counter, plunked down my $100.00 bill, shoved the change into my pocket, and headed to my truck. On my way home, I was stopped at a railroad crossing, and as I waited for the light to change, I saw a man and a woman heavily bundled up walking along the tracks. They looked homeless, but I wasn't quite sure. As they got closer to my truck, I could see the weathered look on their faces that told me that they spent a lot of time outdoors. “Dammit” I thought to myself. All of my supplies were still in the Target shopping bags. I should have taken them out and assembled them into kits.

The light changed and I drove through the intersection to the parking lot of Walgreens. I hopped into the backseat of my truck and spread out 4 gallon sized Ziplock bags and filled them with supplies. I wanted to be ready to hand them out if the opportunity presented itself. In fact, I decided to increase my odds of an encounter, so I re-routed my way home to drive downtown by Denair Park where homeless people tend to hang out.

As I was driving up to the park, my phone rang. It was my girlfriend.

“Hey baby, watcha doing?” she asked.

“I'm hunting for homeless people..” I replied.

“WHAT???!!”

I explained my plan, and she thought it was pretty cool despite the fact that I used our “date night” money to fund the endeavor.

As we were talking, I saw a man walking down the sidewalk. He was disheveled and wearing a large jacket. Behind him, he was pulling a large, ragged suitcase.

“Hang on – I think I found someone”, I told her. I stayed on the line with her using my bluetooth earpiece as I pulled my truck over, grabbed a bag, and ran across the street where the man was standing.

As I got closer, I could see that he wore glasses, had shaggy grey hair and a three day beard . His pants fit around the waist, but were too long, so he had them rolled up around his ankles revealing an old pair of leather loafers. He appeared to be about my age, but much more weathered. Yet despite his unkept appearance, what stood out most was his smile. Before I had said a word to him, he was grinning ear to ear like he was just happy that he had someone to talk to.

“Hi”, I said to him. “I was wondering if I could give you something” I said handing him the bag.

“What's this?” he asked.

“Just some stuff I thought you could use” I told him.

“Wow – thanks!” he said to me looking a little bewildered. “Do you know how to get to Colorado Street? I'm not from around here.”

“Yeah, it's about 2 blocks up” I said to him, pointing up the street.

“I get a little confused sometimes, but I'm not totally lost” he said with a smile.

“No, you're pretty close” I said.

“Okay, thanks. And thanks for the stuff..” he said holding up the bag as he walked away.

I turned and started walking back toward my truck, but something told me to turn around. I turned around and saw that he had stopped and turned around too.

“God be with you !!” he yelled.

“You too !!” I yelled back.

I stood and watched until his white jacket faded into the darkness. All the time, I had forgotten that my girlfriend was still on the phone.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Nothing. He walked away..” I told her.

Over the next couple of days, my girlfriend and I talked about that night, and I decided to give the man I met a name – Tom. I don't know if that's his name or not, he just looks like a Tom. Although I gave Tom about $12.00 worth of snacks and supplies, he gave me something much more valuable. He gave me something to think about that I won't soon forget.

He made me realize that a Homeless person could be anybody. He could have been someone's son or father. He could have been someone's neighbor or former co-worker. If the right series of events occurred, he could be me.

And he made me realize that I don't have anything to complain about. Here was a guy with everything he owns in a raggedy suitcase, walking around in the freezing cold, and he was still smiling.

Yeah, I got the better of the deal.