A Quick Story...

Just a quick story. I was walking from donating blood to the mall to sell Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl at Game Stop for some money to pay back a friend when I was stopped by a homeless man (not too much older then I, maybe ~25) and asked for either money or food. I was startled, having never been directly approached like this by such a person. I politely told the man that I had neither food nor money to give him (I really didn't). The man then asked if I had a phone he could borrow. He was on a bike, and though somewhat wary of him, I allowed him the use of my phone as long as he got off his bike and allowed me to watch it. He was understanding and agreed, so I promptly dialed the requested number and allowed him use of my android.

This man was in a difficult situation. His roommate had stolen his 200 for that months rent then gotten himself arrested, and this poor man had been locked out of his unpaid (his roommate stole his money, remember?) apartment. He didn't tell me this, but I overheard him explaining to a sympathetic friend via my cell phone.

When the man returned my phone I voiced a question that had been working its way into my mind. I told him that I was headed to the mall to sell a couple games for money, and that if he wished to tag along I'd use some of the money to purchase some food for him. The man gratefully accepted and so we made our way to the mall.

It turns out that Game Stop only pays cash for half of the in-store price of the used games you sell (basically $10 for a normally $30 game). This left me just barely enough to pay back my friend. I certainly didn't want to leave my poor homeless companion hungry though, so I went ahead and sold my copy of Pokemon Black as well. The man was very grateful for the food I bought him and after thanking me went on his way to meet the friend he had called earlier.

I left the mall one game and eight dollars short of what I had expected, but I still had enough to pay back my friend and felt quite good about what happened. At this point I had a lot on my mind, so I decided to take a new route home. Something new (if just a little out of my way). I ended up taking a stroll through a poorer part of town. Normally I would've passed through without seeing anything particularly noteworthy. I was more than a little thoughtful this time though, so when I passed the family weeding a beautiful garden in the middle of a garage-strewn field and the man mowing a weed-overgrown lawn in an attempt to make it look nice, I mentally applauded their efforts.

Kudos to everyone like the two men and the family I saw today. It reminds me just how determined people can be. It makes me incredibly happy to see people trying their very best to move forward in their lives, regardless their current situation.

This story doesn't really serve any purpose, nor does it have some big, underlying moral I'm trying to impress upon people. Rather, this story is everything I love about people. People are beautiful, and it's not their money or social standing that makes them so, it's their ability to be honest and hard workers and to not give up, no matter where their lives take them.

Thank you ever so much to the wonderful man I met today who allowed me the pleasure of buying him dinner.

~Nyx