by Andy Howard
Part 2 of The Sweepy Town Chronicles
Will was deep in thought as he lay in his makeshift lean-to on a makeshift bed. To understand his thought process and his frame of mind it is important to mention that there are a handful of solid core values that he will live his life by consistently, day in and day out:
- Being true to his heart and being solid with his peers. For Will to be perceived to have let down a friend would be devastating, but to be perceived to have deceived twenty people who are now worse off as a direct result of his action or inaction is absolutely as bad as it gets for Will.
- The power of positive thinking
- Never ever focus on negative thoughts and/or revenge/avenge type activity
- Do not complain about something multiple times without making a plan to change whatever it is that is fueling a problematic situation
Will meditated for 30 minutes and totally relaxed his physical and mental state so he could get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and he would need all his strength to get through it productively.
Awake at 6 a.m. and feeling energetic and optimistic about the day’s potential, Will got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, ate some leftover food, walked a couple blocks and grabbed a coffee, then headed for the 14-Mission bus and got himself to the Tenderloin, where he would enter the Coalition on Homelessness, which would change his life and affect many others for a considerable time in the future.
When inside, Will met some of the friendliest individuals that he ever had in San Francisco. It is truly a special kind of person that makes a personal career out of helping homeless individuals living on the streets of a major city, for the homeless are the true street-savvy, survivalist-minded individuals that make the concrete jungle their home.
People who have never lived on the streets sleeping rough in a major city with lots of crime have no idea of the daily activities that become insurmountable tasks when you are in that situation.
Sweep tight and come back for the next edition to find out how Will’s life was about to change forever and thousands of lives would end up being affected as a result of that first visit to the Coalition on Homelessness.
