18th June 2011
Day 18…. Here Comes the Rain again….
I don’t know about anyone else, but here in Scotland we’re having the worst weather ever! It’s cold and damp and if its not blowing a gale we’re having torrential down pours.
I needed to pop into town to pick up a few essentials, the parking attendants were busy slapping tickets on any car they saw fit and I only had 45 pence change in my purse. I’d maybe get 15 minutes maximum out of that. I had a fiver in my purse and Starbucks on the corner. So that seemed like a good plan. Buy a coffee with the fiver, get change and hopefully not get caught from a parking attendant for feeding the meter.
So off I went. I immediately got caught up in a very long queue of potential shoppers that were like me either desperate for their caffeine fix or desperately in need for change with the clock ticking. Patience has never been a strong point for me however I had no choice and so I waited in line like everyone else. I had 1 minute to go and finally I got served. Phew!
By this stage the heavens had opened and the rain was tumbling from the skies. The Big Issue man was selling his magazines in hope that if he sold all of them he’s get enough money to at least get a bed for the night.
As I hurried past he asked “Big Issue please” the plastic see through cover that protected the magazine from getting wet was doing a good job but for long I wondered?
I smiled and hurried on, towards the meter and my car. I bought a new ticket, placed it on the windscreen and then struggled with brolly in one hand and coffee cup in the other.
I looked down and realised I had £2 left, enough to buy a copy of the big issue.
Off I went, from the distance I couldn’t see the man any longer which frustrated me because I should have just bought one right there and then. Too late now.
As I crossed the road to take a closer look I saw him, he was now huddled on the floor, hood up, sat on his rucksack still trying to sell the Big Issue. The rain at this stage was horrific and even with my brolly I was soaked though, so I knew there was no hope for him.
His name was Colin and he’d been selling the Big Issue for a number of years, he was homeless yet felt he had a job, which he did. Money exchanged hands and an unexpected dry magazine appeared and was presented from behind the protective plastic covering. As he handed over the magazine he shivered and sneezed. No wonder.
“Do you like coffee?” I asked
“Yes, love it especially on a day like today” he replied
“Well have mine, its black and got no sugar – I’ll get milk and sugar for you if you want it?”
“I can’t take that you’ve just been in there and bought that for yourself, thanks but its OK”
“I insist, it looks like you need it more than me just now”
“Thank you” he took it graciously, a smile on his face even though frozen to the bone. “I’ll drink the coffee black, just as you got it”
I handed the coffee cup over, wished him luck with the weather and I went on my way.
I glanced back for a quick moment and there he was holding the coffee cup with both hands, nose up to the hole in the coffee lid, inhaling deeply with a smile on his face that could only be described as mesmerizing. A simple gift that brought so much joy to someone, who needed it more than me, blew me away.
As I walked down the hill toward my tasks, errands and my many things to do I felt privileged and compelled to keep doing more….. what about you?
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