Changes

Going about the many places I have to go every week, it's interesting just in my ten years of living in Seattle, the small changes in scenery. The ugly condos going up everywhere I turn. The same riff-raff that litters our streets where I work. The dependable bus system that someone somewhere has called one of the best in the country (not sure that is true) But one thing I noticed the other day was this older man that jaywalked across the street as I drove by. He was the same homeless man that I used to see on a daily basis when I went to school at the UW. I'd catch the bus everyday after classes on the Ave and he would be roaming his "territory." I often wondered what his story was. Why he ended up cold, hungry, alone. His care-worn face and dirty nails, always the same. Though a poor student (and still poor) I would always give him my spare change and smile. After all, that's all they want, a smile, a nod, maybe even a conversation which I'd give him too. He would gladly accept and go get a cup of coffee at the local European deli. It didn't matter if he was there on his own volition or if society had forced him to be homeless. I didn't care. Seeing him the other day made my heart ache because there he was, in the same area, same face, just a few more lines, and still homeless. It's strange how so much changes, yet some things always stay the same.