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In, Austin, there are lots of homeless people ... Many are drunks and smell like a bucket of pee.
SOME Homeless People (maybe one in one hundred) REALLY seem to be high-functionning and very successful ... These people have provided me with some of the most useful help and info that money just cannot buy and that you will not find in any book or on any website.
There is one guy, that I keep seeing ... He must be 50 (or older) ... Rides an old (but very robust) pack bicycle, loaded with ~90+ pounds of gear ... I have not been able to flag him down yet ... soon.
Today, though, I was eating some chili, at Wendy's, and this ~40yo white guy sits near me, a few tables away.
.... I am always curious about how different street people get-by, from week-to-week and season-to-season ... I often will help a homeless person, if they are "on the ball" and look like they are a "good investment" ... This Guy, "STEVE", was just such a man ...
He had come in to get a baby frosty and a water and to soak-up the A/C ...
The first thing I noticed was that his gear was very tattered ... he was due for an upgrade ...
... He had a dirty tee-shirt but he din't smell like a bucket of pee ... His heavy canvas main bag (something like a heavy canvas duffel, with a courrier strap) had two inch holes, in the bottom corners and one of the strap-rings had been replaced with a carabiner ...
His other bag was one of those ~$1 re-usable grocery bags, which was (literally) busting at the seams.
In the grocery bag, I could see that he had a Novel, a notebook, a towel, and some other stuff.
His clothing was a bit dirty but HE (himself) was very clean and he had a confident and intelligent aire about him ...
I proposed that he provide me with a "CONSULT", in exchange for a few dollars and some of my surplus gear ... I told him that I had just finished building two packs, for myself, and one for my daughter, and that I had lots of gear and supplies, left over ...
We talked about how he kept clean ... How he kept his gear dry ... What sorts of places he slept, and HOW he slept ... We talked about "the cops", and issues of loitering and (minor) tresspassing ... He shared how to make a Mexican fishing reel ... and ... since he already had almost as much as he could carry ... we talked about what things I could provide him, that would make the most positive impact on his current daily existence.
He gave me lots of great info, methodology, philosophy and insight ... great stuff ... info you will not find anywhere else.
I gave him an insulated re-usable (velcro top) "improved" shopping bag (~$3), a few mini-tubes of tooth-paste ... a new toothbrush and travel-tube (for it) ... two new/clean washcloths ... a handful of multi/multi vitamin/minerals ... some ziplocs and a pocket med-kit.
My total cost was WAY under $10 and ... he gave me about a 40 minute consult (no BS, just "meat").
I definitely got my money's worth and he got a generous re-supply ...
... Now ... If I can do the same thing with that Master Bike Packer Guy ?? ... That would be "way cool".
I could tell you some of the great tips he gave me ... but ... You should really try this, yersef !
:D
SOME Homeless People (maybe one in one hundred) REALLY seem to be high-functionning and very successful ... These people have provided me with some of the most useful help and info that money just cannot buy and that you will not find in any book or on any website.
There is one guy, that I keep seeing ... He must be 50 (or older) ... Rides an old (but very robust) pack bicycle, loaded with ~90+ pounds of gear ... I have not been able to flag him down yet ... soon.
Today, though, I was eating some chili, at Wendy's, and this ~40yo white guy sits near me, a few tables away.
.... I am always curious about how different street people get-by, from week-to-week and season-to-season ... I often will help a homeless person, if they are "on the ball" and look like they are a "good investment" ... This Guy, "STEVE", was just such a man ...
He had come in to get a baby frosty and a water and to soak-up the A/C ...
The first thing I noticed was that his gear was very tattered ... he was due for an upgrade ...
... He had a dirty tee-shirt but he din't smell like a bucket of pee ... His heavy canvas main bag (something like a heavy canvas duffel, with a courrier strap) had two inch holes, in the bottom corners and one of the strap-rings had been replaced with a carabiner ...
His other bag was one of those ~$1 re-usable grocery bags, which was (literally) busting at the seams.
In the grocery bag, I could see that he had a Novel, a notebook, a towel, and some other stuff.
His clothing was a bit dirty but HE (himself) was very clean and he had a confident and intelligent aire about him ...
I proposed that he provide me with a "CONSULT", in exchange for a few dollars and some of my surplus gear ... I told him that I had just finished building two packs, for myself, and one for my daughter, and that I had lots of gear and supplies, left over ...
We talked about how he kept clean ... How he kept his gear dry ... What sorts of places he slept, and HOW he slept ... We talked about "the cops", and issues of loitering and (minor) tresspassing ... He shared how to make a Mexican fishing reel ... and ... since he already had almost as much as he could carry ... we talked about what things I could provide him, that would make the most positive impact on his current daily existence.
He gave me lots of great info, methodology, philosophy and insight ... great stuff ... info you will not find anywhere else.
I gave him an insulated re-usable (velcro top) "improved" shopping bag (~$3), a few mini-tubes of tooth-paste ... a new toothbrush and travel-tube (for it) ... two new/clean washcloths ... a handful of multi/multi vitamin/minerals ... some ziplocs and a pocket med-kit.
My total cost was WAY under $10 and ... he gave me about a 40 minute consult (no BS, just "meat").
I definitely got my money's worth and he got a generous re-supply ...
... Now ... If I can do the same thing with that Master Bike Packer Guy ?? ... That would be "way cool".
I could tell you some of the great tips he gave me ... but ... You should really try this, yersef !
:D
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