Well, today's exercise in giving got a little too real. See, I finally caught up with an ages-long friend today, who'd been trying to reach me since Friday to say "hi." When I actually reached him today, I heard some dour news: he was about to be homeless.
He'd lost his job a while back, and moved home to Boston for a while with family; went to school in the hopes of getting into something new.
Instead, he's been struggling to find work but, like so many, found none.
And Matt and I have just spent our next several paychecks' wiggle room on fixing his car.
I tried to give him a pep talk; he might try to temp through Labor Ready, which is rough stuff, and I told him about the friends I met on a temp job - the most horrible job I have ever held - and how they not only got me through that job, which threatened to break me (did break me, really), but helped me build myself up until I landed the job I wanted. I said you never know where you'll meet the next person to help you.
He said the people he'll work on these jobs with will be as poor as him; but I told him, you would be surprised what someone you think has nothing can give. And someone who has nothing, or has been in a place where they have had nothing, well they're motivated to help you because they know what it is to have nothing.
Tonight, I'm wide awake, and worrying. I wear my heart on the outside, and tonight it's in Portland, OR, where I've got the power to do approximately nothing.
I sent a little money, so he can have something. It's not nearly what I'd like to be able to do. But at least, it's something.
Ah, man, that's always rough when stuff like that happens to a friend.
ReplyDeleteBut, really, what you've done for him is a fantastic example of what real Friends do for one another. (And an example of how a really amazing person should treat even complete strangers.)
I know I've been lucky enough to be able to help out friends every now and then. I also know first hand how much having that Friend safety net can help--I was living on people's couches for a year before I got settled where I am now. It's one of the reasons I have an open couch policy, especially for friends. :)
(Couch is currently occupied by someone who was a complete stranger before she moved in. It's been a fantastic and growth-inducing challenge, but we're both better for it.)