It was such a warm and glorious day Friday. Mother Nature decided to take it away from us yesterday evening with cold, gusty, and blustery winds and a bone chilling cold upon the air. The weather in the South can be so fickle. It tried to spit rain for most of the day and the gloomy pall of a grey overcast sky hung heavy upon my shoulders. This time of the year always depresses me and gives me the funks.
I slept for eight hours yesterday and six hours tonight no doubt in part to the gloomy weather. I guess I am catching up on my recent sleep deficit as well. I could actually go back to bed again, but want to sleep well tonight. I am also obsessed with rebuilding my blog archives and giving every post organizing labels so that has spurred me awake as well at 6:30 AM with a task in mind.
George is desperately and busily trying to rebuild his taxi cab service clientele with a revoked license. I saw him and several of the gang as I had walked down to the shopping center to buy a pack of cheese on wheat crackers and chocolate milk late yesterday afternoon. George motioned for me to come and sit in his car.
“Brotha, you ain’t got twenty dollars I could borrow for gas?” He asked.
“Drive us down to Fat Albert’s and I will fill it up,” I replied.
We drove the few short blocks to Albert’s and I swiped my Visa debit card through the gas pump reader and we filled up George’s car. The total was $37 dollars.
“I will pay you back tomorrow,” George said and I can trust him to do so.
“I saw Ferret today,” George then said as we drove back up to the shopping center.
“How did he look?” I asked inquisitively.
“He’s gained a lot of weight and had on new clothes and shoes,” George replied. “But it didn’t last long.”
“Why?” I asked.
“He’s moved back out of his mother’s house and the rumor is he is back to living in his tent by the river,” George replied.
“I knew that shit with him and his mother wouldn’t work,” I said. “Was he drinking?”
“He wasn’t when I saw him, but he will be soon,” George replied.
“Man, maybe we can get him back into that group home for homeless men,” I said. “Does he have an income this time?”
“Yeah, he be getting disability,” George replied.
“Well, that will make his life much more simple,” I said.
“He said yesterday that if it wasn’t for you, he would have never gotten that disability,” George said.
“Hell, all I did was print him out the forms and showed him what to write and coached him through it and then mailed it,” I replied with an air of modesty.
“Well, he wants to see you and thank you,” George said.
I have missed Ferret very much, but hated to hear such bad news. I knew deep in my heart that the living arrangement with his mother wouldn’t work out though. Maybe I will make a quick jaunt down into the woods to Ferret’s old homeless stomping grounds and see how he is doing and if he needs anything. I do take solace in that he has a stable income now and I hope he has the sense to keep up with all the paperwork social security will no doubt send him on a regular basis.
Well, let me get some breakfast started and then call Carolyn to get her up and ready for work. She has had a bad habit of sleeping through her alarm clock lately. We’ve had a few mornings where she has been late to work lately. Good day.
6 comments:
Hmm, so George has started asking for money already. Be careful.
Hope Ferret is doing okay. I am sure that you can help him once again to get on the right path.
Andrew,
I'm always impressed (I suppose that makes you a little uncomfortable, but there it is.) with how giving you are with your friends. Your compassion and empathy aren't just fuzzy emotions but they spur you to action.
You know they sometimes take advantage of you but you help within the boundaries you are comfortable keeping.
It is in doing these small things we can do (helping fill out forms, checking in, caring) that we each make the world a tiny bit better.
If each of us would just do those small things within our sphere of influence, revolutionary change in the world would be upon us.
Thank you for reminding me of this today.
Peace.
This is an amazing blog.
You are right, becky. Reaching out with love in our hearts WILL change the world. Andrew does that, and the world needs more. One does not have to do a lot. Little bits of helping from the heart are more beneficial to world peace than big splashy shows of giving.
Keep writing, Andrew. Your blog is helping to rebalance the universe towards compassion and kindness.
Andrew said, "This time of the year always depresses me and gives me the funks."
I used to have this problem, also. Then I read some articles on light, and here is my solution:
In the winter I say "to heck with being frugal with electricity". If it is at all gloomy in the house, on with the lights.
The biggest help is that I have compact flourescents on timers which come on at 5 AM aimed at a houseplants in my bedroom . (Way before I get up.)
My whole bedroom lights up at 5:00 AM like it was bright morning while I am alseep. I wake naturally at 7 or so, and no matter what the day is like outside, I can see bright light through my closed eyelids before I open my eyes.
I wake to a room filled with light and green plants, and do not even notice what is happening outside, even though there are no curtains.
Try it!
Light and green plants. Timers.
Just two or three places in the house. 5 AM in the bedroom, and the others timed so the lights go on just before you get up.
Yes, it wastes a bit of electricity, but not a lot with flourescents, and your bright mood will help offset the dark moods of others who are a bit depressed by the dark of winter.
I am rereading this post and missing you right now. I could use a little post about your mom or about the gang. Have a good evening.
Such wonderful comments from your readers. I agree with your willingness to help. It is an admirable quality.
One doesn't need to be rich to give a helping hand. My Mom had a friend who could not read, so Mom would help her with all of her paperwork. Moms help made a big difference to her friend when she became disabled and had to fill out tons of paperwork. Her help was always appreciated.
You may never know just how much your helping makes a difference. Sometimes the benefits of ones help is far reaching.
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