Rant & Raves

Few days ago I met a man at the Starbucks outlet that I frequent most. For days I had seen him there, always alone, sometimes wearing the same shirt for 2 days in a row.

For all the time that I had seen him, he always buried himself at the far end corner to avoid any contact with other people, and his table was always empty besides his battered laptop. I watched him most of the time as that is something I like to do; observing the people around me. From what I saw, he is someone who knows how to carry himself.

He might not be wearing the latest Hugo Boss shirt, but there’s something about him that is very intriguing. Besides, the way he handle himself is speaking louder than those who drive a huge car or wear fancy shirts. But for days, I just sat there, watched him, intrigued but I did not approach him to introduce myself. He might think I am nuts or something.

Then, few days ago, a Starbucks staff went to him, and the Starbucks staff asked him if he ordered any drinks. He mumbled something, and he smiled to the staff, not raising his voice or acting aggressive. All he did was started to pack his laptop and got ready to go.

The Starbucks staff walked by, and I stopped him and asked him. He told me that he didn’t order drinks, so I told the staff to bring out a big cup of coffee. The staff just smiled and said Okay. I guess that’s the privilege of visiting Starbucks so often.

I saw that he stood up and was about to turn around, so I walked to him and introduced myself, and invited him for coffee. He politely declined my offer, and I insisted. Luckily, he gave in and sat in front of me.

He then started talking, about the story of his early life, how he ended on the street, sleeping in his car every night. I listened carefully, intrigued by the story, touched by the sadness, and I could feel his despair. I had went through the same thing myself, but my encounter was slightly better as I had friends who helped me out. I struggled to find words to comfort him, and after a long time, I managed to give out some lame encouragement asking him to look forward to tomorrow as tomorrow will always be a better day.

Then I told him about blogging. I think I piqued his interests, as he was asking for more. I just received an email from him telling me about his blog, and I think I should share the story of him with everyone.

I won’t tell the story, so it is best for you to visit his blog to understand what he has been going through.

His blog is The Journey Of The Homeless. So please, visit his blog, read his stories, and I am sure you will be touched by the events that he had to go through.

Thank you.