Reminder That Things Could Be Worse

There are things in our lives that we find "difficult" to deal with or that annoy us. There are times when, due to circumstances in our lives, we ask, "Why me?" And there are days, most assuredly, when we think to ourselves, "I just can't catch a break!"

Every weekday I drive the same route to work. And most every day, as I exit the Expressway to get downtown to work, I see the same homeless lady. She is usually sitting on a bench on one of two opposite corners in what is considered a small park area, but is actually bordering a very busy intersection of the main road into downtown. She has a little cart and a suitcase to carry her belongings and on most occasions she is sitting up on a bench hunched forward with her chin touching her chest looking as though she is sleeping. (The picture above, although not of her, is an extremely close depiction of how she appears.) There are very few days when she is not there - even if it is raining, I have seen her sitting there holding a sheet of plastic over her head.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have taken special note of her.....I now specifically look for her each day and I notice if she isn't there. So many times I have wondered what circumstances brought her to this place in her life. We all have a story to tell - I can only imagine what her story must be. Whatever the details of her story are, I would surely bet that devastation and/or heartbreak are woven into her story somewhere.

I know that there are people out there who have no compassion for the homeless and, in some instances, I guess I can understand that. I never see this particular woman, however, bothering anyone. I have never seen her approach anyone, never seen her with a sign asking for money and, in fact, I don't believe I've ever seen her talking to anyone. Most every time that I have seen her she is sitting slumped over on a bench.

While I cannot begin to know what she has been through or what she goes through on a daily basis, I have sympathy for her situation and, for reasons I do not know, she touches my heart.

Her situation is a constant reminder for me that, in spite of my sometimes "difficult" days or days when I think that nothing is going right, my life could be much worse and, in comparison, my worries are inconsequential. She doesn't know me, but she is a part of my day - she has no idea, but she reminds me to be thankful each day.