Lately, I've been riding my bicycle 5+ miles to appointments for physical therapy for nerve damage and muscle wasting in one leg. That's going well. If I keep my "guts up" to deal with the unpleasantness, I think I can come back to normal.
But today, I had an interesting encounter with a homeless guy. It says a lot about our economic situation.
When I left the house this morning on my bike, I thought about taking a jacket in case the weather changed. Of course, I didn't take one (dumbass that I am). As a result, I met a most interesting person.
By the time my therapy was done, rain was pouring down. I sat and drank some of their really good coffee. Sure enough, the rain slacked off and I climbed on my brand new bicycle, loving running 3-4 gears higher than I ever could on my old piece of crap.
As I started the 5+ mile ride home, it began to sprinkle. I pulled up under an I-95 overpass and surveyed the sky, trying to predict how serious and how long the rain would be a factor. I figured, "I can make it there" ... to the next business with a protective roof. I just barely made it, before the rain started really coming down hard.
I pulled my bike under the roof overhang of a Dunkin' Donuts/Gas Station. Shortly, I see this guy walking walking down the sidewalk in a moderate rainstorm, and he's not looking very happy. As he walked up under the overhang, I comment, "Nice day for a walk or a bike ride, huh?" He replied, "Yeah, huh."
We began to talk while waiting for the rain to stop, though it looked like it had set in for a while. It turns out that he had just gotten out of jail in Martin County Florida because he'd just spent the last of his money on food when the local police saw him eating his food and arrested him for vagrancy. He was looking for a way to get to Panama City where he had family, but wanted advice about a route to take that avoided big cities (and the accompanying "alert" police). I gave him some ideas.
The rain didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon. I asked if he'd let me buy him a cup of coffee while we waited. After all, an employee of the business had stepped out of the door and was "giving us the eye." Our homeless guy, "got" my offer immediately as a way to avoid further unpleasantness in the very next county.
He and I sat and drank coffee for almost an hour. We told each other funny stories about our lives. We laughed about how we had each thought, "I can make it to the next roof" before the rain gets really hard.
He was a nice guy who'd been more or less out of work for two years. He asked nothing of me. I offered what I could. The rain stopped, and we shook hands, sincerely expressing how enjoyable our time had been. We went in opposite directions, never to see each other again. But, I haven't been able to get that guy out of my mind all day.
THIS is the nation we've become. I hate it.
UPDATE: Thanks for the REC LIST for however short a time. I am humbled ... special thanks to Trashablanca who has many reasons to dislike my "stubborn" self, but is still gracious.