Yesterday, I went out and about on foot to take care of a few things. Along the way, I interacted with a number of people, most in a very cursory sort of “I see you, but I will just go about my day” way. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially since it magnified my encounter with two people who really did want to engage with me.
I live near an overpass where there are homeless people living. These people are MY people. They understand me, and I understand them because I can see past their sad story and enjoy their Divinity as God in costume. The thing with homeless people is since they’re destitute, they don’t bother putting on airs about how busy and important they are. And when someone comes along and recognizes them as an infinitely beautiful soul, they feel it immediately.
So, as I walked under the overpass, one of my friends, (I’ll call her Mary), was so excited to see me again that she struck up a conversation with a big smile on her face. You see, my friend Mary ADORES me, and I love her, too. Meanwhile, another friend walked over when he saw us talking, (I’ll call him Sam.)
“I know you. I see you pass here all the time,” he told me. So we exchanged names. We three chatted a bit more...Mary insists I look like a cross between Janice Joplin and Demi Moore! And when I was ready to go, Mary reached out to give me a big long heartfelt hug, as is our custom. I then turned to Sam and asked him if he would like a hug, which he did, of course. As I held him, he turned his head into my hair and neck to smell me. It was a fleeting moment, but oh so precious. All he wanted was to be loved and accepted just as he was and to experience what it was like to smell love again. Really that’s all any of us really want...to be loved and accepted exactly as we are.
I left my two friends under that overpass and began to reflect on the fact that the most special moments of my day where I felt loved and accepted exactly as I was and where people actually valued my time and presence were there with my two friends under the overpass. Who would have thought?...❤️