My New Neigbour

I live up in Aurora about thirty minutes north of Toronto.  In the ten or so years I’ve lived here I’ve seen some incredible growth and development.  I remember clearly standing in my empty local grocery store on a Saturday morning long ago wondering what the thought was when they built it.  Today Aurora is busy and still growing.  There’s a brand new luxury condo building going up two blocks south of my front door as I write this.

Rolling down the street to work I spotted something out of the corner of my eye on the sidewalk.  From where I was it looked like a sleeping bag and as I got closer I could see it was.  Just a few steps ahead of where the sleep bag lay a man was stopped looking over a shopping cart.  As I passed this scene I had to turn around.  Clearly the sleeping bag was his and very likely it was a needed possession.

By the time I turned around on the street again and pulled up the man had already figured out what he’d lost and had turned back to retrieve it.  “Oh good you got it!” I said.  The man explained that another woman passing by had pointed to the lost sleeping bag.  “I thought I’d heard something fall off…” he told me and I replied “yeah you might need that”. 

The man continued to tell me that he was homeless.  He wasn’t ashamed of it he seemed as though he was accepting his situation and making the best of it.  “I’m homeless eh… I sleep over there at Zellers under the overhang…well at least until they close up the store”.  I expressed my happiness that he’d recovered his possession and said I’d see him around.  I plan to.

As I rode away I was met with a so many thoughts.  I’d seen fall colours out on my travels already and naturally thought of coming winter and what this man’s plan was if any.  I thought of the circumstances that led the man to this state and to the town of Aurora.  It’s uncommon to see a guy like this up where I live.  I also wondered how many of us are only a pay cheque or two away from a similar situation.  I wondered what I could do and where our priorities might be better aligned. 

There was a day long ago when he was someone’s brand new baby boy.  Someone loved him and he was cared for.  I can’t help but let my mind wonder down the “what if” trail.  I wonder what our world would be if everyone was as happy as this man regardless of their situation personally, professionally and financially.  If he can be happy surely we all can.

If you find yourself sleeping in a warm bed with a roof and four walls tonight consider the luxury and blessing that it is in whatever form it takes.