Today I am not sure what I'm thankful for.
I took my aunt out to lunch today. I guess I can be thankful for that.
There was a homeless guy trying to sleep in a corner by a defunct restaurant that shut down in the early days of the pandemic. Dumb politicians don't understand that the Covid meddling in business destroyed out economy and skyrocketed the numbers of our homeless population.
Enough rant for now...
The sleeping man was African American. He appeared to be in his early twenties.
All he had was a pillow and the clothes on his back - a dirty t-shirt and shorts.
While waiting for the food, I bought a bottle of water, went outside and slipped it next to the man with a $10 bill under it.
I didn't have more dough with me.
The man was breathing.
He's alive.
He didn't smell of alcohol.
I didn't wake him up.
I left and went back inside the restaurant.
One man approached me to tell me that what I did made his day.
Later, another man approached me to tell me that I was "very kind."
I didn't do anything special.
I didn't do anything they couldn't do.
People don't want to give them money because they claim they'll buy drugs.
That homeless man is living in a hell hole now.
Drugs would help him slip out of that reality.
Maybe if I can talk to him when he's awake, we can talk about options for treatment.
Right now, he's in survival mode.
****
There is a man who panhandles near the Aurora Tah Mahal (my nickname for our spectacle of a municipal building). I gave him a wad of cash (probably not much more than fifteen dollars).
He remembers me and makes it a point to say "may God bless you." when he sees me.
It's sad.
That cash probably didn't go very far.
When I carry cash, it doesn't last very long.
There is more need than I have personal funds.
****
There is a man who panhandles near a bridge on I-225.
He must've become homeless about ten days ago.
I drive past him around 6:00 a.m. every day.
Two weeks ago, he was chipper.
He was smiling.
He twirled his sign.
His clothes were clean.
As the days passed, he became less and less animated.
Five days in, his faced began to droop.
He continuously looked at the concrete.
Shortly after that, the paramedics had to evacuate the bridge under the highway. I witnessed homeless folks being loaded onto stretchers. I never found out why.
It was 100 degrees that day. I feared they were burned in the scorching heat.
I looked for him the next day.
He was okay.
This morning, I drove past him and had the good fortune to sit at a red traffic light near where he sat.
He sat there, holding his sign.
I had my $20. I tried to get his attention.
He just sat there on his bucket, staring at the ground.
The light turned green.
In a little less than two weeks, I saw the life and motivation leak out of a man leaving him just a hunk of bone with thin flesh hanging on for dear life.
We vilify these folks.
I came home and cried.
My aunt asked if I called upon anything scary to try to solve the problem.
I told her no, I hadn't been able to harass any politicians over their stupidity.
To be truthful, she was asking if I performed a black or grey magick ritual.
No - there is too much negativity with this issue. To add the wrong energy into it would just make it worse.
*****
Later in the evening,
I was giving a driving lesson to a teen as we drove past a homeless encampment.
There was a car that looked like it belonged to my friend, parked on the side of the highway with its blinkers on -
across the street from the encampment.
I exclaim "I think [my friend] is here! Can we stop?"
The driver refused to stop.
If that wasn't my friend, we have someone helping out who may need support.
The longer this goes on, the more people are going to jump into the fray.
The more push-back the politicians are going to experience.
*****
I may do a ritual or three today on the night of a new moon.
As I explained to my aunt,
when I bitch to the Divine, I'll wind up being the person giving the speeches and annoying the hell out of people making the piss-poor decisions.
If I'm really unlucky, I'll wind up being a politician again.
That's the last thing I want to do.
I pray that someone else takes this on, too.
The more the merrier.
Humanity needs all the help it can get.
Love ya,
S.
*****