One of the interesting things about working closely with the
homeless is how in synch they are with the real world, but how out of synch
they can be with the rest of the community.
A case in point, I was doing my shopping for the street at Walmart a couple
of weeks back on February 26th, and I was surprised to discover that
they already put the coats, hoodies and boots on clearance, but there was a
wonderful selection of swim suits and resort wear. I went out on the street the next morning and
it was 20 degrees with a nine degree wind chill for a high. Needless to say, the folks in the community
were bundled in numerous layers, grateful for wool socks, gloves and hand
warmers, and happy to have three warm meals during a cold February day. No one was anticipating the joys of a beach
day in some distant future. They were
absolutely anchored in the reality of a frigid, blustery day in Maine. I think there’s a lesson in there for all of
us. No matter how challenging, or how
much we wish it was otherwise, it’s crucially important to live our lives in
the moment.
The other important event that has the potential to have a
devastating impact on this community is the coronavirus. The fact of the matter is that the homeless
don’t have the ability to wash their hands with regularity, much less have the
luxury of social distancing. They sleep
on mats on the floor four inches from the next mat on either side. There is no way, under those circumstances,
to prevent a virus from spreading through the entire community like
wildfire. When you add to that the fact
that there are a number of co-existing illnesses in members of the community
(heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) the potential
for numerous fatalities is very real. You
are also dealing with a population whose involuntary lifestyle leads to diminished
immunity under the best of circumstances.
At the homeless vigil late last year, a former homeless man recounted
how when he was out on the street, he would get his first cold sometime in
October, and it wouldn’t go away until April or May. Coronavirus could be a complete disaster for
this community.
So if you pray, please pray that this community is spared the worst of this outbreak. And even if you don’t pray, if you could hold them in your thoughts, that would be very helpful as well. Along with nursing homes, homeless shelters are among the most vulnerable places for an outbreak. But I know that if we all pull together, we can navigate the storms that are to come, and come out of this challenging time bruised but not broken. After all, it is times like these that remind us that we are all one community, no exceptions, living life together in the moment, whatever difficulties that moment may bring.