barry's dog

...who is homeless - along with barry

i met barry today... he was walking around my little lake with another homeless buddy of his - who wanted nothing to do with me. but barry and his dog were both very friendly. he told me he'd been homeless for quite some time and it'd been working out okay... except for nights like last night when the rain and hail came down in torrents - and refuge needed to be found under the bridge or with other squatters in unlocked restrooms. barry said he worked 2 jobs for a lot of years, then got brain cancer... lost everything and now lives off the land, on disability - trying to be a leader among other squatters, too.

his dog - who i forgot to ask the name of - is 15 years old, looks pretty ragged yet still cute and is now blind. apparently he requires a seeing eye dog... i laughed at this revelation but barry claimed it was true - it's a young dachshund very kind and sweet. i think barry was pulling my leg.

we departed... saying it was nice to have met. he invited me, then, to join him for lunch but i said i had plans. i walked away wondering if this was how i'm supposed to be meeting people... do you suppose a future husband could've been mixed in with those squatters if i'd joined barry for lunch? have i gone from bad to worse? homeless people... for my dating pool? surely not....

however in comparison, there was a genuiness about barry that i sometimes don't see in other men - an openess to chat and be friendly which was refreshing... and he didn't give a hoot about status or background. he was simply trying to make the most of what he had without making a big deal out of it - not putting on airs. he was just being barry... very real - for today, that was a nice thing - a welcoming thing.

made it a

happy day.....