The Homeless Man, the Nun and the Nurse.

So did you hear the one about the nun, the nurse and the homeless man walking down the street? If so, it’s probably not the same one I’m thinking of.

I don’t know why it was such a profound experience- maybe because it happened on a Friday, after a long week and working 13 hours (not including travel time) on Thursday- or maybe it was the irony of the situation- either way, it was pretty amazing.

SO, I arrived to work at the medical clinic at 8:30am, as I have been doing every morning for the past few weeks. About an hour into my morning, my supervisor reminded me that I was supposed to be somewhere else learning how other parts of the Village operate. Woops. I ran up to where I was supposed to be, introduced myself and took a seat at the desk. Within minutes I realized that the probability of me staying awake at that desk was slim to none. Taking pictures for the Village ID badges and handing out incident reports to people apparently isn’t my cup of tea.. Thank GOD a nun walked up and introduced herself. Sister Mary told me how beautiful I was (blush) for doing what I was doing, but mid-complement session she was interrupted by a man who was looking for the Neil Good Day Center- a center that provides some of the basic needs for San Diego’s large homeless population (showers, laundry, mail boxes, air conditioning and a TV!!). The people who utilize the day center have Village ID (so they can get free meals) but do not have residency in the Village program. These people sleep on the streets and come to the Center during the day to relax. The NGDC has a strong urine-odor and with all the homeless people around the center and crowded within the gates, it is not all that appeasing to the outsiders eye, but for the people who frequent the NGDC, it offers a piece of normality and camaraderie…

Anyways, the nun offered to take this man to the Center and offered to show me where it was- and that is how I found myself walking down the streets of San Diego with a nun and a homeless man. We only had to walk 2 blocks, but in those two blocks I learned so much about the world- or the two different worlds we live in.

While we walked, the homeless man shared his story- his entire family lives in Puerto Rico. He is a veteran. He learned to speak English from living in New York City. He graduated from Columbia University. In 2004 he fell into a deep depression after his wife and only child were killed by a drunk driver. He has deep scars on his wrists from his suicide attempt. I saw them. He was sent to a mental hospital and is currently keeping up with his medications, but he has nowhere to live. He recently arrived in San Diego. He carried nothing but a single plastic bag and a cell phone- his mom calls him three times a day.

The nun talked to this man about the program at the Village, informing him that he will have the opportunity to take computer classes and learn how to use the internet. The man turned to us with the most precious smile and excited look and exclaimed, “Wait- I will learn to use the internet? My mom will be so proud of me!” The things in life I take for granted. Wow.

Throughout the walk I kept thinking about what the people around us thought about this strange trio walking together.

To those on the streets we were saviors, the nun and I. I was stopped by quite a few people asking for medical advice- and the nun was stopped by a man who just wanted a blessing. “Mother- I am a sinner,” he said. The nun replied, “we are all sinners.” The nun offered a blessing for this man and the man continued on his journey completely at peace. It was so simple but meant so much to this man.

But what did we look like to the people driving by? To those that don’t live on the streets- but instead drive down them every day in fancy cars to and from their homes? What did they think of the nurse, the nun and the homeless man walking down the streets of San Diego? Just as I was thinking this, a beautiful blonde haired woman drove by in her classy white Mercedes convertible. Her eyes were glued to the rearview mirror while she applied her mascara. This woman didn’t see the world around her. Hell, she didn’t even see anything right in front of her. It was such a wake-up call~ such a parallel to the real world and how easy it is for people to turn a blind eye to what is going on around them.