$5 For the Homeless Man

Since my university days at Berkeley, when the homeless situation in our country was first brought to my attention, I have felt compassion for people living on the streets or in their cars. Back then, I could buy an over-sized burrito or a large plate
filled with Chinese food for less than $5.  I was never able to finish these enormous meals meant for two, so I always took it upon myself to bring the leftovers to someone meandering outside who looked like they could use something delicious to eat.

That was all well and good, but my conservative training taught me to never-ever-ever give ‘these’ people money, as they most assuredly would just use it to buy drugs—and that was not going to work for me.  Food I could give, but parting with a single penny was not an option.  In my mind, I still saw the obvious trappings that someone with lesser means was somehow not good enough to make his own decisions.  I felt compassion, but at a price.  I could only go so far and that was all I was able to give.  

That was thirty years ago.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I felt compelled to start giving things away. The former professional organizer in me comes out from time to time in order to clear out the old to make way for the new.  I have done this my whole life, but now that I am Spiritually Awake, I see and feel the metaphor behind this way of thinking. A cluttered house equals a cluttered mind and I like to keep both in harmony and not filled with a lot of distraction.  For most of my adult life, I quite often have sold these items that no longer served me so that I could make a quick buck. If that didn't work then I donated the leftover pieces to a charitable organization. However, as of late, neither of those options seemed appealing. It seemed more important to listen to the Universe's promptings by giving these bits and pieces of my life to various people whose Spirit was now calling for them. For an added bonus, I witnessed some pretty spectacular reactions when my friends saw their gifts and that certainly lifted my own Spirits.  I didn't make these offerings in order to gain anything in return, I did it because the act of giving made me feel good. 

These actions cleared the way for yet another lesson to be presented to me.  The old adage 'When the student is ready, the teacher appears,' unquestionably applied to me during this time frame. Spirit brings us teachers in all forms, we just have to be open to receive them.  On this occasion, the first of two teachers came in the shape of an inspirational video posted on my Facebook page.  I felt inclined to watch what I would soon discover was a heartfelt advertisement from Thailand.  Though it had subtitles, even without them the meaning was clear. I watched as I played witness to a man who, every day, gives away his time and money to help those in need—all for very little reward. The bystanders watching him shake their heads at him. One can practically read their minds as they are clearly thinking that this man is a fool.

One of the people he gives money to everyday is a woman who presumably is in need of the funds for her daughter's well-being.  She perfunctorily accepts each day's gift, but for all we know she is just using her daughter as a ploy to obtain the money, while actually she plans on spending it all on herself.  (Oh look, there is that negative way of thinking coming to play again.)

At the end of the three-minute commercial, we are fortunate enough to see the good this man is actually doing.  That is when we notice the little girl who once joined her parent on the sidewalk, was now joyfully skipping toward her mother and their benefactor. She no longer wears the tattered clothes that we normally see her in. Instead, the delightful youngster is wearing her school uniform. The viewer can feel how pleased she is that she can now receive a rewarding education—all because she now had the means to buy the proper attire. This is when the neighbors see for the first time this man's benevolence was not at all a waste of time or energy. Indeed, he was helping his community—but that's not all. This man who received very little response for his actions on most occasions, continued giving, not just because he was helping another, but simply because it made him feel good.

That was when the lightning bolt hit me.  I felt so much emotion seeping through every pore of my Being.  How many times do we affect people in a positive way without knowing the end result. What is more, we do not need to know what the end result is going to be for another person's path. What is important to learn is that we give simply for the sake of giving, in order to make us feel good and so that we can feel part of something Greater. We then can let go of the result by allowing the Universe to do its typical wondrous thing, by creating the magic that is frankly everywhere.  Whether we see it or not is irrelevant.

I took this idea to heart even more than I realized at the time, but soon that would change when teacher number two showed up.  

Only an hour or so after seeing this spectacle, I walked up to the local market to buy a few things.  As I was leaving the parking lot, I noticed for the first time a stranger with his dog that I had never seen before.  He carried a sign asking for help.  I could have easily reached in my bag in order to hand him my customary gift of food, but something was different in me.  I recognized the Divinity within him and decided it was more important for him to choose what he wanted.  

So, for the first time in my life, I uncharacteristically and without hesitation, searched for my wallet and pulled out a $5 bill.  I frankly don't know what I expected after I handed it to him, but it was certainly not the reaction that I received. I figured I might get a simple thanks and that would be that, but that was not the case.

This man was so filled with jubilation over such a small amount of money, it was as though I handed him a million dollars. He couldn't believe his luck and he wanted to make sure I was certain that I wanted to give him so much.  He went on to tell me how embarrassed he was for having to take this course of action. He had a turn of bad luck recently and this was all he could do in order to fill his tank and feed his dog. I told him that he should not feel badly.  I, too, had been in dire straights in my life, and I told him that I understood his need. He looked up at me from his seated position with surprise at my admission and continued to profess his gratitude to me. At that point, I only wished I had more I could have offered him.  Alas, I took my leave of him and headed for home.  That is when I suddenly and rather unexpectedly began to cry.  

The tears fell not only because I was angry that our culture has decided it is okay for people to be living on the streets, but at the same time, I also felt an overwhelming sense of elation for helping another human being.  This small act of giving helped to shift my reality in a positive way and I was grateful that I took up the call to action.

I have not seen this man since that day and have wondered if he has had a change in his life's circumstances that has enabled him to get off the streets.  Of course, the metaphysician in me wonders if perhaps he was an angel, sent here for a short time to help me grow.  Either way, he, too, became my teacher that day.

It seems to me that it is time that we shake off the last remnants of the 'holier than thou' attitude that has been ingrained into our collective psyches.  That man was simply a mirror for me as he is a mirror for us all.  I am not better than he is.  In fact, we are all different drops of the same Universal Ocean.  We are each a part of one another. I am not in this life to stomp on other people's weaknesses for some sort of financial gain and I am not here to hoard every single material item I have either. 

Furthermore, the act of true giving is not about doing it for some unknown reward.  If we give without demanding that we receive something in return, the Universe most assuredly will reciprocate the gesture. If we give only for the sake of getting something to take its place, then we may very well have a long wait to endure.  Be that as it may, helping others just for the sake of helping others, simply because we can, allows for an opening of our hearts and therefore our True Spirit can show itself through this action of Kindness and Love.  And that is certainly a good thing.

Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)

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The heartwarming Thai commercial that inspired this story...