This morning I curled up by the window of my downtown apartment to have my coffee as I do every morning. It’s a cloudy day here in Seattle. The summer has been filled with glorious sunny days but today is gray, chilly and a little drizzly. As I bundled up in my favorite comfy sweatshirt, I was not only unbothered by the weather but rather enjoying it. There’s a creative energy that takes place on overcast days that I particularly love.
I looked out the window at the water and watched as the ferries began their charters. On the streets below I could see people walking their dogs while others were on their morning runs or bike rides. The tempo of the morning felt light and easy as people began their day.
On the corner, I could see a man sitting on a bench. He appeared to be homeless. His head was lowered as he sat perfectly still with a black jacket draped over his upper half. Sadly, this is a sight I’ve grown accustomed to seeing while living in major cities. For some reason though, I couldn’t take my eyes off this man.
I wondered how he got here. What happened in his life that brought him to where he was? I thought of what he might’ve been like when he was younger. Did he play sports? Was he into music? Was he known as the funny one in his group of friends? Did he once have a loving family? Or maybe still does and they don’t know he is out here?
What happened along the way that brought him to this very moment? Why was he on that bench instead of me? Or instead of the people passing by?
A guy came from around the corner with his dog. The dog, unaware of any sort of social boundaries, went right up to the man on the bench with his tail wagging and nudged against the man’s feet. The dog’s owner quickly called the dog off the man and pulled back on the leash. The man on the bench raised his head slightly and watched as they crossed the street and continued on the sidewalk before finally disappearing behind the tall buildings.
I wondered if the man on the bench ever had a pet. If he felt the love of the stranger’s dog as it ran up to him with zero judgment full of unconditional acceptance? Was he even aware? Does he know love?
Shortly after, a woman walked by and placed a large brown bag next to him, which I assumed had food in it. She appeared to try to speak to him but he kept his head down and didn’t move. As she turned to walk away, I saw him lift his head slightly and watch as she crossed the street before continuing on the sidewalk and finally disappearing behind the tall buildings.
I wondered if the man on the bench ever had a caring woman in his life. Had he ever known the love of a mother, or a mother figure? Had he ever been in love and felt the warmth of a woman’s heart? Did he feel the love of the stranger who just left him food? Was he even aware? Does he know love?
About fifteen minutes had passed and the man still hadn’t touched the food. In fact, he had hardly moved at all. I began setting up my laptop and preparing for the day. As I went back over to the window to grab my coffee, I looked down one last time at the man on the bench. He had opened the bag and was now eating. He was eating so quickly I wondered how he was able to swallow without choking.
Just then, a guy with a backpack who also appeared to be homeless walked up to him. The man on the bench stopped eating and extended the food out to the guy with the backpack and also gestured towards the open bag. The guy with the backpack accepted the offer taking an item out of the bag before carrying on about his day.
I watched then as the man on the bench slowly gathered his things and crossed the street before continuing down the sidewalk and finally disappearing behind the tall buildings.
A smile came over my face as I took a sip of coffee… he does know love.