Friday, November 19, 2010

What We Have

By Elissa
A small group of us went into Harvard Square tonight. Upon reaching the “pit,” we realized there were far more people than we had sandwiches, and every person we offered a sandwich to accepted it. Many of the people in this area were young, no older than us in some cases. They were thankful for what sandwiches we did have, and even though they were outside on a cold night, they were in good spirits. They were friendly and even joked around with us a bit as we said goodbye. It makes me think about how many times a day I wish I was doing something else, or complain about very trivial inconveniences throughout my day. Just one hour earlier, before the run, I had very casually complained about the work I had for class. It wasn’t until I handed a PB&J to someone in the pit that I realized what I had done. In the big scheme of things, most of the people we witnessed tonight are in far more dire situations than I have ever been in. To be without a home is to be without the feeling of security we rely on, but take for granted, everyday. To not have a warm bed to sleep in at night is to not be able to put one day to rest and start anew the next morning. The constant stress of not having a home does not go away at night and return in the morning. It is not something they can forget for a little while, like we may forget about an assignment that is stressing us out or a rocky friendship. It is something that they must always be aware of. To have this kind of trouble but still be able to say “Thanks! You have a good night, too,” with a smile on their faces is something I can’t even fathom. Although I don’t know the precise circumstances of the people we gave sandwiches to tonight, whether they are homeless or not, to even have to accept a sandwich or meal from a stranger because other means of eating aren’t available is troublesome in itself, and very scary for some college students to imagine. The fact that I am in college an am earning an education is reason in itself to think carefully before I complain about something I have to do. The lesson I learn time and time again, and have to continually remind myself of, is that the things I have and the opportunities available to me are privileges, and to forget how special they are is to take life for granted.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Blog That's a Long Time Coming

A smile is something we all take for granted. It is an act between two human beings that makes us feel like we mean something on this earth. Given this definition, it is hard to think about going a day or longer without smiling. You might shrug and say that it doesn’t really matter to you either way, but try going a day without getting smiled at or smiling at anyone. It might be harder than you think. This is something we touched on last night at our debrief after our run. I know there have been blogs about how the people we serve are, in fact, people. I know we have written about how we need to try to make them actually feel like people. But honestly, it is worth repeating. We all have luxuries that we don’t think of as such. We have people we talk to on a daily basis, we have people we can lean on (whether they be friends, family, or a combination of both), and we all receive at least one hug and more smiles than we can count in a day. What if all of that went away? What if you didn’t have someone to get a hug from when you are upset, or to tell you everything is going to be okay?
The people we serve have talked to us, we’ve read their signs, we’ve handed them a simple paper bag with very basic food in them. But unfortunately, that might be the most interaction they get all day. Elissa, one of the leaders, told us about a sign she saw that one man was holding that said something to the effect of “please just smile”. That simple act, that one muscle movement, will give them a little bit of hope. Someone noticed them. Someone acknowledged that they are there, that they are human.


So please. Just smile.