Lucy's Voice

I humiliate myself.  Seriously.  I’m so focused on my love drama that I lose sight of the big picture out there.  I get brought up short by Lucy’s recent email to me.  Lucy’s my sister in Denver who lost her big job five years ago and has been free lance writing ever since.  That’s not enough to pay the bills.  

She just turn 62 last week.  She’s brilliant.  She’s broke.

Her Voice:

“I wish everyone knew what I see.  As I stand on a street corner for my job, soliciting donations for a nonprofit, I talk with countless people -- young and old -- who are seeking jobs.  they are barely making it.  It is so sad -- and yet, I identify with that edge of existence.

Tonight, I watched a homeless man searching the street gutters and sidewalks for coins to buy food.  He was not a drug or alcohol addict.  He needed money for food, he said.  I had no money to give him but then I remembered my dinner sandwich and potato chips in the baggie in my handbag -- the one you gave me in Highlands for my birthday.  I gave my little dinner to him.  He thanked me and began eating it immediately.  

I realized how many people are struggling -- from the 23 year old college grad looking for jobs to that elderly man, probably my age, who can’t get a job.  I listen to people with stories like this every day.  They have no idea that I’m just a shade away from their realities.  I wish I could make a difference in their lives as I struggle to regain my own life.

Most of the people with whom I work are in their early 20s -- I’m the oldest person they ever hired.  A risk?  I more than doubled my fundraising quota and was hired on my first day.  It’s rare apparently.  

Next to me in age is Simone, a French-born woman who is so colorful and upbeat -- tattoos and mini skirts, beautiful facial bone structure and vivacious personalty.  She was an ice skater who trained with Nancy Kerrigan for the Olympics.  

I relish hearing the life stories of my coworkers and those of people I interact with on the street.  It’s truly amazing.  Some of my coworkers are from very wealthy families -- others are struggling and taking time off from college or can’t find work.  

Because of the pressure on fundraising quotas, I’m not sure how long this job will last.  But, guess what?!  I went out with my ‘trainer’ today who couldn’t raise a dime.  If he came back with no money, he’d be fired.  So, I gave him credit for some of the cash funds that I’d raised.

It’s a very different world.

God bless Lucy and all the others who are struggling to survive.  They humble me.