Homeless?

Last week I was on my way back from a job interview I saw a homeless man sitting on the floor by the entrance to the L train in Union Square. He was holding a sign that said “spread a little love…” something along those lines. I gave him a dollar, and a flower someone had given me on the street that day. He looked up and said “Thank you!” and I realized he was much younger than I had imagined. A few days later, I was on my way back from a different interview, and saw him again! I took a closer look at him, and realized he was wearing a blazer and jeans, and that overall he was better dressed than I was. I asked him if he remembered me, and to my surprise he said yes; I couldn’t resist but ask him why he was homeless. He wasn’t offended (thank god), and took the opportunity to tell me his life story.

He is a college graduate, with a degree in design, and was working in the city until he got laid off. He couldn’t pay his rent anymore and had to move out. Now he stays over his friends’ houses since those are the only places where he can sleep safely. His mother lives in Georgia and he is waiting to file taxes to get a refund, and then move back with her. I asked him what he was doing in the meantime, and he said “this” and pointed to the hat that was on the floor with a few dollar bills in it. I ask him if he ever considered waiting tables, or getting a part-time job. He said he once had a part-time job but they didn’t give him enough hours a week, and decided to quit. That’s when a I thought maybe he was just a quitter.

I said to him “I am about to sit down next to you, and just beg for money, because I am frustrated going to all of these job interviews and not getting a call back.” He said “yeah you should, we’d make more money.” Of course I was kidding, but he wasn’t. Anyways, we spoke for about an hour and then I went home. Thankfully I got the job that day, and realized that it takes time and effort to get something you really want. I also realized than while some people choose to sit down and wait for time to bring an opportunity around, other people go out to find this opportunity. Although this guy was very nice and polite, he wasn’t much older than us, and I couldn’t help but compare myself to him. We’re both young, we’ve both worked in the restaurant business, but he has a college degree, and I don’t.  So why is he sitting in the subway station begging for money and I am not? Many people in this room have part-time jobs, and for many of us it wasn’t easy to find that job. This guy had a job, and quit for almost no reason. I may be wrong, but if he really needed the money he would had kept his job. Instead he chose to wait for his income tax refund, and beg for money in the meantime. I realized the difference between some of those people in the train station and the rest of us may simply be how hard you are willing to try in order to move pass a bad stage in your life.