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One of the things I do in my job is to manage a computer learning center. We have free open access to computers with Internet connections, and a group of volunteers who teach basic computer classes and do some tutoring. Since we're open during business hours, most of the people who use the center are unemployed for one reason or another. There are senior citizens who want to learn how to email their grandchildren, stay at home mothers (we run a program in the summer called CyberTots for moms and toddlers to learn fun activities on the computer together), people who are collecting disability benefits and want to stay busy during the day, and people who have been laid off and need to get their computer skills up to speed so they can find a new job or just need a place to update and print out their resume.
There is also a steady group of folks who are homeless, mostly men but also some women, and the computer center is one of the places where they spend time during the day because they are not allowed to be in the shelter except for lunch until it's time to check back in again for the night. Even this group is pretty diverse, and it's been eye-opening to see the wide variety of people who end up being homeless. I've seen the stereotypical homeless folks, the ones who are obviously battling substance abuse or mental health issues, and I've seen people who seem to be just like me until they mention that they're heading over to the shelter for lunch. Some have been homeless for a long time and you can tell they are probably going to still be homeless a long time from now, and some are working as hard as they can to get themselves out of a situation that they never imagined they would find themselves in. I've seen some success stories that make me proud of the work that I do, and I've seen some sad cases that make me grateful that I have had so many opportunities in my life.
On Friday, I was covering the front desk in the computer center until one of the volunteers got there to take over, and after we had been open for an hour or two, one of the regulars got up to leave. He's there every morning when I unlock the doors, and he's usually there for all of the open access hours, so I told him I was surprised that he was leaving so soon. He said he had to go because he had to meet his girlfriend.
Say what?
This guy is one of our homeless patrons, and he is not someone I am expecting to be a success story anytime soon. I don't know his personal story, but the fact that he parks his shopping cart on the sidewalk outside while he is inside using the computers kind of tells me that he is in the group who has been and will be homeless for a long time. But apparently he has a girlfriend.
Again, say what???
I have friends who would tell me that this is a good thing, that there is reason to hope. See, they would say to me, there really is someone for everyone! But that line of thinking never works for me. The thought that goes through my head is that there must be something horribly wrong with ME, if I am unattached but the HOMELESS GUY with the SHOPPING CART has managed to find someone to be with!!!
I've been in a bad mood ever since.
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When I'm not comparing myself to homeless guys with shopping carts, I blog about creating a life worth living at Inventing My Life.
