Steve

Today I met Steve on the street.  He's a veteran who has been homeless for the past 5 years, despite the fact that he served our country and has had gainful employment most of his life.   He told me his downward spiral to homelessness began after he was diagnosed with cancer, which he believes was caused by handling chemicals while he was in the Army.  "After the cancer treatments I couldn't work as much. I pretty much lost everything," he said. "It all happened so fast."

Steve doesn't drink or smoke and takes pride in his work ethic, even while living on the street.  "I never leave a mess and I always try to help people.  I'm nice to everybody. Karma is real, ya know." During our conversation, I witnessed Steve living up to his word.  He was kind and generous to everyone who stopped by to chat. 

I, too, believe karma (or whatever you choose to call it) is real. Steve got a laugh when I told him I also thought it was a lot easier to be nice to people anyway.  "Being mean takes too much energy," he told me.  How true.  I'm grateful to have met this generous, kind man today.