Daily Gratitude: Whenever I’m training for the upcoming Vol State race across Tennessee, I use a different and more hilly route (finding sufficient hills in San Antonio is tough). There is a man on the corner of a big intersection who is there every day hoping people will give him money. I’ve been pondering this for about 3 years now. He’s almost always there, no matter the weather. Picture this for a second: it’s pouring rain and you’re standing on concrete and people are zooming by splashing water on you, not necessarily intentionally but that’s just what happens when cars go through standing water. Or this: it’s 100 degrees (108 “real feel”) with 70% humidity and the sun is blazing down on you because there is no place to go. This man is not, in my opinion, just a pan handler trying to take advantage of people’s kindness. How do I know? I don’t for sure but he’s always there. This appears to be his “job”. He doesn’t call in sick when he doesn’t feel like boiling. He doesn’t go on vacation. This is his livelihood. He can’t say “I don’t feel like it” and not show up. It’s taken me all this time (I’m ashamed to admit) to realize that he works harder than I do and even harder than almost everyone I know. He has some sort of disability because he’s bent over at a 90 degree angle all the time (and I actually saw him get off a bus and head to his spot and he was just as bent over, holding on to his walker) so he probably can’t work at another job. I don’t know. I do know that he shows great resilience and I’ve come to respect him because he’s been out there when I have and we’ve both been miserable. But I am headed home and he’s still standing there. He depends on the kindness of others. How would you do in that situation? Yesterday I finally went over to his side of the road (it’s opposite the side I walk on) and told him he was always out there and I respected him for that. And I gave him some money. I should have given more but more importantly I should have talked with him more. But I didn’t because I wasn’t sure he would want to talk to me (weird huh ) and I wasn’t sure if talking to me would keep him from getting more donations (notice how we use words – when we give to a formal charity we call it a donation. When we give to a person in need we call it a hand out – why the difference?). He’s no longer just the man on the corner. He’s Joe-Joe and he has the sweetest smile. He’s now a man I’ve met and would like to get to know better.