October 14, 2014

  • Positivity wins over Writer's Block on a cold morning in Austin

    So I'm sitting in Strange Brew Coffee with Carlton at a table near the cold window, sipping a nice hot soy coffee that a stranger bought me. Carlton and I slept outside on a playground last night for the second night in a row and it was 53 degrees out there. We woke up at 5am and stumbled into this coffee shop like always, shivering and covered head to toe in scarves and sweaters. We obviously don't have money right now, so we made a difficult choice on which coffee to get since we could only afford one. Carlton is on a new no sugar diet, and I'm on the soymilk diet, so those interests conflict. Car can't have soymilk. So I settled for sharing an almond milk coffee with him instead. When Car ordered the coffee, Eli the barrista gave him a large for the price of a small, so that was really nice. Then an older gentlemen approached us and asked if we'd like him to buy us anything else right out of the blue. It was so sweet. So I got to get my soymilk coffee after all, and man is it delicious! :) Then the man left, but not before giving us a ten dollar bill because he said "it's cold out there!" I guess he knew we were homeless. That's somewhat embarrassing, but he obviously wasn't judgmental in any way so it wasn't awkward... Anyways, I've had this bad case of writer's block on Xanga for quite some time now, but this good deed has restored my words by giving me something to write about. I could write about why we're homeless right now, or how biting the cold was last night while I slept, or about any of the upcoming troubles of the day ahead, but instead right now I think I'll take this time to enjoy writing and reflecting on this lovely, warm, silky coffee right now that was kindly provided for me out of sincere generosity for a fellow human... Makes it taste so much sweeter too. Waking up and walking here was hell, and I thought the horrible start to my morning would set a negative tone for my whole long day ahead of me. But this experience just now has restored my faith in humanity and the kindness of strangers, and replaced my troubles and worries with hope and positive energy. What a wonderful start to a day... I don't know his name, and I don't know his story, but somewhere out there this morning is a kind stranger who doesn't know just how much he may have impacted in my life today. I have a dr appointment, a probation call to make, a job interview, Carlton is leaving for Crockett, I have to face my family who hates me, and I have to find somewhere to stay tonight without Carlton. I'm faced with all that and none of it seems as hopeless as it did on the freezing way here anymore. Wherever that man is now, please God, bestow on him a feeling of joy and let him know somehow that what he did is really, really, really being appreciated. Thank you. Gooooooooood morning! :)