When I spend time on the streets, I end up hanging with
users of various substances. I still need to meet an addict that I trust.
They normally adamantly state that they are clean. I am not being judgmental. I have become more streetwise.
As a rookie to the streets, I believed everybody's story. I
felt terrible for my homeless friends. Today, I still feel terrible for my
homeless friends, but I don't take every story as factual.
Most of my friends just need R20 to visit their children who
they haven't seen for a very long time. Or they just need R20 to go to the
doctor because they are sick. Or they need R20 for a deposit for a room for the
night.
If you give all those R20 notes you would quickly run out of
money...
So I came up with a street rule. I will only give food out
on the streets. When I feel my heart moved - which is nearly every week I buy
my friends food and we eat together.
I like to know where I spend my money. I don't want buy
drugs!
So this weekend, I hung out with of my young homeless
friends. He was hungry and needed money to go and see his son in a nearby town.
I picked up that he was really fishing for money for his next fix.
I decided to buy him a burger and chips.
He was so grateful. I felt so ever slightly like a mini
Jesus giving this hungry guy food. Except, he didn't start eating. He just sat
there clutching the food, thinking... For a hungry guy he had a lot of self
control... After a long pause he said: "Well I might just go to see a
mate."
In that moment I realized, I had just bought this guy his fix
for the evening. He wasn't going to eat my food. He was going to trade the food
for drugs.
And so he did. He got up and I followed him from a distance
till I saw him enter the home of a dealer. I was so annoyed! I don't do drugs.
I don't support drugs! I don't want my money to be spent on drugs!
Sometimes we get it terribly wrong, but that is ok. (Tweet This)
It took me some time to laugh at the situation. Here I am
the great planner of everything trying to control other people.
Sometimes I just need to let go!
I found peace in my 'misjudgement'. I think I would do it
again.
After all....This is life.
Share and Connect:
You can share this story on twitter by clicking here. I would love you to connect more with me through Facebook or Twitter.
