I grew up in NE Philadelphia. On special occasions when my parents took me into the city, I was given very strict rules when there were homeless people sitting on the sidewalks/begging for money- "Don't stare/Don't look at them/Don't give them money because they will rob you or spend it on booze and drugs." Basically my education was- homeless people are bad. The cost of armoring your human heart against the suffering of other human beings comes at a cost and changes a person. It can make a person numb and perpetuate individual "separateness." When I grew up I never wanted to be that closed. I started giving homeless people that I encountered food and/or money if I was able. There is still a voice in my head though that says "Homeless people will spend money on booze and drugs!" This voice makes me so sad and I work on rewriting this internal dialog. The point to my story- today after I left Whole Foods, where I went to stock up on hemp milk and purchased myself this wooden Om (yes how fucking privileged and blessed am I to be able to buy anything from Whole Foods and then drive to Trader Joe's to stock my fridge/freezer/pantry with enough food for 2-3 weeks) I drove past a woman standing by a tree holding a sign as her est. 8 year old son sat in a chair behind her. Her sign said a lot, I only read "Lost my job for now" saw her face, saw her son's face, felt my human heart break and I pulled over to give her $10 because I am blessed to have more than enough. Instead of looking at someone like that and seeing the worst- why not look at her and see the best. Wow- she most likely had to swallow a shit ton of pride and her ego to stand out in the 90+ degree heat asking for help. Perhaps my small contribution put food in their bellies or assisted in paying rent/bills. At the very least I hope that mother and child were lifted in spirit by the kindness of a stranger. We are one. We are human beings each living out very different lives. If you have an opportunity to assist someone even in a small way- step out of your internal scripts and into a heart led space, give kindness and spread joy. #blissfulbutterfly #yoga #bekind #openheart #weareone #supportoneanother
Comments