I have always been curious about the people I see on this side of the road asking for money.  Why don’t they go the McDonald’s behind them with the help wanted sign and apply for a job?  Are they mentally ill?  Do they have any family?

I decided one day to ask.

I saw Rick (pictured) sitting on a curb near a grocery store.  What caught my eye is that he waved at every car that went by him.  He had no sign asking for money.  He was just smiling and waving.

I was nervous approaching him, but I told him about the blog and how I am looking to understand more about his life. He graciously told me his story.

He is fifty-six years old.  His career was a truck driver.  He started having seizures and had to quit his job and go on Social Security Disability.  He had been diagnosed with epilepsy.  I noticed the bottle of medication in his pocket.  He explained the medicine is for his seizures and it only costs $2.00 due to being on Medicare.

He had an apartment, but he could not afford it, so he took in two homeless men as roommates.  The landlord found this out and kicked him out of the apartment.  He has been homeless for a few days now.

He has no living family.  His mom passed away several years ago and he told me he misses her every day.

I asked Rick why he was waving to everyone.  He told me he loves people.  He enjoys talking to people and in general, believes people are good.  I asked him about the people who judge him or mistreat him.  He told me that he doesn’t let the few bad people affect his thoughts or beliefs.

I asked Rick what he most wanted.  He told me in the long-term, he wants to find a place to live. He said there are rescue missions, but it is hard to find placement. Right now he is sleeping wherever he can find a quiet, safe place.  For the short-term, Rick told me he wished he had a razor, so that he can shave his beard.

Steve was sitting under a tree at the entrance of a Wal-Mart parking lot.  He looked to be in his late forties with black hair and a graying beard.  He held a sign that said, “Disabled and Homeless.”  He had a back pack and a bottle of water.  He wore a black eye patch on his left eye.  Steve was more reluctant to talk to me.  Once he understood that I wasn’t judging him, but seeking to understand him, he opened up and we talked for almost an hour.

Steve said his whole life changed when he got into a car accident in 1988.  He was born and lived in La Junta, Colorado until a couple of years ago.  The day of the accident he was driving ninety miles an hour on a rural road.  He lost control of the car and went into a ditch.  He was thrown forty feet from his vehicle.  It was that accident that caused him to lose his eye.  He also badly injured his knees.

Steve still worked after the accident.  He mostly worked in for telemarketing companies.  He lost his job and moved to Colorado Springs for work just prior to the recession.  He did get a job with a telemarketing company.  He used to take the bus there and back daily.

Steve said when the recession hit and there were budget cutbacks, the city reduced their bus routes.  He could no longer get to work.  He lost his job and his apartment.

He has been homeless for several years.  He sleeps in a spot that he did not want to disclose near a river.  He told me that homeless people do not want their spots taken, so they are secretive about where they are located.

Steve is used to this way of life.  He does not want to work in a menial job and he isn’t afraid of being homeless.  He said he has no fear of sleeping outside or finding something to eat daily.   He stated matter of fact that he is used to it.

Steve said he knows some people don’t agree with his choice, but that it doesn’t bother him.  This is how he lives and people can help him or not – it is their decision.  He has accepted his fate and his choice, and having “The American Dream” does not matter to him.

Both were articulate and friendly.  Both wanted their stories told.  Homelessness is a complicated issue with no simple answer, and the people who are homeless all have a different story to tell.  My impression of Rick is that he was very alone in the world.  He seemed to be alone for a long, long time.  I don’t think he pictured his life this way, but he accepts this is what his life is, at least right now.

My impression of Steve, although his was disabled, was he dropped out of society.  The economy may have forced the initial change, but he was comfortable in his own skin and his choices.  He owned his homelessness and really did not seem that he wanted to change it.

I still pass by people every day like Rick and Steve.  I still struggle if I should give money or some other type of help.  (Most of the time, I do.)  I don’t know the back story of every person begging on the street, but I did learn it is worth taking the time to ask some of them.  I try now to look beyond the sign, and into the eyes of the person.  I make a point to acknowledge them as people, say hi and smile, not look away and pretend they don’t exist.