One thing that is nice with the Fair Mother city is that it's not too big. We will often run into people we have known and the lady at the photo place we go to doesn't even ask for my name- she just knows. I'm sure she doesn't know much else about us, apart from what she sees on the pictures, but there is something nice about being recognized even to a small degree.
It seems like with the poor and homeless there is a catch twenty-two. Often, they don't want to be noticed and want to just fade in the background, but the further they fade or are blatantly ignored, the more they miss out on human contact, which is so vital. How often do they get the smiles, the greetings, the affirmations, or friendly- "hello, it's glad to see you". Not nearly enough.
It is nice though that some people and businesses try to make a difference. I took my kids to reading time at a local fast food place that is trying to reach out to the community by offering their space and prizes to the kids. A bank employee came and explained that their business had decided to take the challenge of the movie "pay it forward" by doing something good for others once a month. They gave us free breakfast and piggy banks (with their business emblazoned on the side) and asked us to continue the trend by doing something for someone else.
It just warmed up the entire room that someone would be doing a kind gesture for us. This is such a small idea, but I know it could change individuals and whole communities if we would all just reach out to someone with kindness.
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