What's in a Bag?

Certain scenarios in life will forever change us.

I have come to the recent realization that we are basically Play-Doh in the big scheme of life, being molded on a continual basis.  Sometimes, we are simply reshaped.  Other times, a piece of us might be completey torn apart.  Occasionally, we are rolled up tight in a ball.  And more often than we would like, we are squished completely flat.

But, we must remember that we have the ability to build ourselves back up and reshape our lives.  Sometimes, we just might need a helping hand.

I have talked in the past about trying to take a more positive approach on life.  I am still trying really hard to do this.  It is taking a continuous freaking effort, but I'm trying.  I swear.

Exerting all of this effort and energy to remain positive, gets to be down right exhausting.  The other day, I was in desperate need of a boost.  When I realized there was not enough coffee in the world for the kind of boost I was in need of, I immediately got more exhausted.  I needed a sign that I was doing something right.  That all of the effort I was throwing out there was not all for nothing.

Then, I finally got one. 

My husband and I were about to go visit our beloved family member in the hospital, when I suddenly remembered a forgotten Christmas gift.  I had read somewhere of a person creating a "homeless kit."  They filled a ziplock with nonperishable foods, toiletries, band aids, etc. to give to a homeless person.  

I immediately fell in love with this idea, because I have never been big on giving money, whilst at the same time- I hate doing nothing.  So, I put together a few kits to give to some of my family and friends at Christmas, to help spread the Spam.  I mean love. 

I bought stuff to build a kit for my husband as well; but, alas, being the procrastinator that I am- I ran out of zip locks on Christmas Eve.  So, the items had been sitting on a shelf since Christmas, until a few days ago when I remembered them and finally transferred them to a bag.  That day, we were headed to the hospital downtown Charleston, where there are an unfortunate number of homeless people, so I brought it with us. 

Now, much to my dismay, I have passed a lot of homeless people downtown.  At certain corners, there is almost a guarantee that you will see one.  But, with the route we had been taking (multiple times by this point) to the hospital, we never passed any.  Seriously, not a one.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  So, I was already mapping out an alternative route in my head that we could take on our way home, where we might be able to give out our bag.  Because, we were in dire need of some good Karma, dammit.

On our drive to the hospital, we turn the corner and- Voilà!  There he is.  I shit you not.  At a red light, with no one behind us (both are rarities for this part of town).  We stop, roll down the window and give the man our bag.  He gives us a big (primarily toothless) grin, takes the bag and says, "Thank you so much!  God bless y'all."

Some might call it a coincidence- me finally remembering to build the bag for the first time in months, us passing the first homeless person we had ever seen on that route, and him blessing us when we needed it most.

Some might call it divine intervention.

Call it what you will.

I know it was not merely a coincidence.  I know that we were in need of that exact occurrence, at that precise moment.  (As well as in need of all the good Karma we could get.)

We gave that man a bag of stuff.  That man gave us a true gift.

He was the helping hand we needed.  He took our flattened-selves and helped shape us back into what appears to be human form again.

God bless that man,
Katie