There but for …

After my swim this morning, I was walking home about 7.30 along a back street. I was on one side of the street. On the other side, a man was sitting on the pavement. On the same side of the street, a young woman was walking towards him. The diagram below shows our positions.

The man was sitting cross-legged, and he didn’t have any shoes or socks on. 

He looked very sad. No, sad is the wrong word; he looked miserable and hopeless. He also needed a wash. But when you have nowhere to go and you live on the street, life isn’t easy.

I decided to cross the road so that I could walk past him, look at him and nod. As I was crossing, the young woman was beside him. She bent down and handed him the breakfast drink that she was carrying. He took it. You can see its name below.

By this time, I was beside him, so I said good morning and asked him if he needed anything. Immediately and without hesitation, he said no. Then I said, “Do you need any money?” I can’t remember if he said anything, but I had some notes in my wallet.

They had been in my wallet for years. I hadn’t used them because I always pay for things by card. I gave him one, shook his hand and walked on.

The person in the bare-footed picture at the top isn’t that man; it’s me. Who knows why he’s living on the street? I don’t know, but I know this. That could happen to anyone, and it makes me think of an old saying: There, but for the grace of god, go I.