We had heard the west coast had a large homeless population, but we were not prepared for the reality of it. We have a small homeless population in Vermont, small perhaps because of the harsh winters, but out here the mild weather and the resources for the homeless, so we have been told, make it an attractive place for the homeless to be. Everywhere there is a gathering of population, there is also a population of homeless and you can’t not see it. People asking for hand-outs on corners, people living in makeshift shelters under roads and overpasses, people sleeping in parks and behind garbage bins, signs warning you not to leave anything valuable in your car or bikes on car racks and on and on. You would have to be blind not to see it and heartless not to be affected by it.
When we flew to Florida last fall, we had just started to see the homelessness and we talked about how we felt homeless; our house rented and the Wee Rover and all our camping gear in storage. We had 2 backpacks and that was it. We felt adrift and somehow a bit more sympathetic to those without (and then felt totally foolish because we shouldn’t relate at all since we had the money for a flight and rental car….).
But, when we arrived back in Oregon and the Wee Rover went to the garage for her engine transplant, we again felt displaced. We didn’t have our home, or our home on wheels, we were still living out of 2 backpacks and going from place to place staying in other people’s homes and motels…and along the way fully realized the homeless plight and population in the area. Again, we felt we could relate (and then felt awful since we had a rental car, a roof over our heads and food on our plates…).
We handed out a few batches of peanut butter and crackers when we shopped, some shampoo and soap samples from motels and clothes and shoes we could leave behind. A very small bit thrown at a very large hole. We couldn’t in anyway fix the problem, but perhaps we helped someone have a better day.
Fast forward and we are back in the Wee Rover. The past is behind us. We have our ‘home on wheels’ again and a friend has reminded us of our home waiting for us in Vermont and the skills we have to be employed again when we return…but the homelessness still haunts us. It has crept into our journey and is hard to shake.
Today, we are sitting in a beautiful place with amazing views and blue skies, but we still talk about the homeless and how we felt a bit of what it must be like, but not really.
