TOO BUSY TO SEE

Sometimes the universe sends you a sign. One perhaps you might not be ready to process or accept but in retrospect you know it was a sign.

He sat on a city bench, one of those metal ones bolted to the sidewalk positioned with the back towards the road. As I walked past him, he asked me for some change. I didn’t see a "spare some change" sign or a basket to toss money. He was smoking a short cigar and looked healthy, maybe he’s not homeless.  Perhaps he’s just working tourists for a couple of dollars here and there, I thought. I told him I didn’t have any change and kept walking.

Was he homeless?  There was something a bit different about his mannerism, his accent and even the way he carried himself. Where were his belongings? I didn’t see a backpack or any blankets. About ten minutes later, I walked back to find him around the corner of the building.  

He was tucking his shirts insides his pants.  He wore five or six layers of soiled pants and several shirts. It took him a few minutes before he could address me as he focussed on his task at hand.   

“You asked me for some change earlier.” I asked.

“Yes.  You said you didn’t have any.”

“I have a few dollars now.”

He told me his name and we talked a bit. I really don’t remember the contents of our discussion but it was the ambiance I recall. Most of our discussion didn’t make any sense as he rambled from topic to topic without any common thread.  However, the way he talked intrigued me. He seemed polished, but rough at the same time. What was his background?  In the short time I had with him, he wasn’t ready to go into that.

“Is that a Sony camera?” He asked.

“Yes. It is.”

“I used to have a camera. I don’t remember the film it liked. You want to take my picture?”

“Yes. I would like to make your portrait.”

“Let me get ready.”

He worked several long minutes adjusting all of his layers of pants and shirts.  Then he worked on his hair, running his fingers through it and patting it down just so. He was not in any rush and as I waited I relearned that I am usually too much in a hurry. I need to slow down, pay better attention to my surroundings and live in the present.

As I waited, it came to me that he didn’t have a satchel because he wore all of his belongings. Everything he owned was on his body. I was just too busy to see it when I initially breezed by him.