u/Brilliant_Shine2247

▲ 52 r/raleigh

Spreading That Raleigh Style Kindness!

That Raleigh Style Kindness is contagious people!

Those who have been following my journey here as a homeless person in Raleigh, boy have I got something to tell y'all about! Forgive me if this is a long post. I'll try to make it worth the read.

Most mornings I leave the shelter and take a brisk walk to the Shell station on Blount. Some cool morning air and a cardiac inducing walk always gets my blood pumping.

If I have the money I'll get a nice sausage egg and cheese biscuit and some life saving caffeine.

This morning I got to the Shell and passed a woman with a 3 or 4 year old child crying. Of course I had to stop and ask her if she was okay and if there was anything I could do to help her. She asked me if I would buy her son something to eat. Apparently, her bf and the child's father had been smoking crack and drinking for a couple of days straight and he dumped them there in the middle of the night and then took off.

I told her that I would be more than happy to help her son. I went to the Shell and got a couple of biscuits, 2 honeybuns, 2 Gatorades and a cup of coffee for her. That meant that I would go without, but being homeless means I understand hunger all too well.

No child should ever have to understand hunger.

I told her about Oak City Cares and gave her the last of my money for a bus ride.

Leaving there I felt pretty good about myself.

I got to the bus depot downtown and realized that now I would be short the money to wash and dry my clothes. Okay. No problem. I can do them at the shelter but it takes forever and you have to sit there with them. I do not like to hang around that place for any longer than I have to.

While at the bus depot I hear some jackass going off on some woman. He's yelling that his taxes pay for disability so she owes him sex. She is sitting there on her walker surrounded by her belongings and has a new looking hospital wrist band on.

At that point I thought that our inebriated ruffian needed a little reminder of how one should address another person, especially, and please excuse my obvious sexism, a lady.

I immediately stepped up to him to let him know that I thoroughly doubted that his family tree had more than two branches. I also let him know that there was some doubt as to the number of legal parents he had. I may (or may not) have told him that he would be the perfect person to represent the pro-abortion argument on both posters and other assorted media.

After diverting his focus from competing for the world's biggest douche canoe he began to focus his angry tirade at me. Being somewhat of a sizable man physically I began walking him backwards away from the woman in the walker. While doing so I tried to help him out with some positive affirmations in an attempt to brighten his day. Why, I even told him that he was a perfect example of why pets should be spayed and neutered. Maybe not in those words exactly, but judging from his reaction it appears he understood.

After almost getting hit by a bus he decided to let me know that he did in fact question my personal sexuality (like calling me gay is some sort of insult) and he then informed me that when he goes to sleep tonight (or pass out, whatever the case may be) that he will be engaging me in the pugilistic arts. I'm sure that he meant it that way because he just kept backing up in real life!

He finally left and the women with the walker thanked me and bestowed some sort of blessing upon my soul. Good. I need all the help I can get in that department.

So. How has everyone else's morning gone?

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u/Brilliant_Shine2247 — 13 hours ago

    Hey folks. I hope everyone is fine today. I'm going to dive straight in because it may be kind of long.

     I'm currently homeless because of a traumatic brain injury that took everything from me. I even had to teach myself to read and write all over again.

     I lived in the woods and in an abandoned house (with the owners permission) for the last 9 years because my brain injury made life pretty much impossible.

     Now I've moved to a city that has the resources I need to get back in the game. I'm in a shelter and I no longer look like Grizzly Adams. Hahaha.

     For the last 7 years I've been friends with the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth. A little over a year ago our friendship became what it was always meant to be and we confessed our love for each other. But in order to get myself straight I had to move an hour away to a city with the resources I needed.

     Her birthday is coming up this weekend and the shelter has been gracious enough to grant me a weekend pass for being such a good boy. I've organized a shoe drive to help the elderly guys with mobility issues get new shoes and other assorted things to help people out. Through the years I've used my sobriety (26 years soon. June 23rd, 1999) to help others. Won a few and lost a few.

     Now I'm asking for something for myself. I'm trying to get the money to get a room for my partner and myself for my weekend pass. I want to propose to her at that time.

     I realize that this is not a life or death situation and I feel strange asking for anything for myself. But this woman has literally saved my life. She has been there for me when I lived in the woods. She sees something in me that makes me want to be a better man.

     I need $180 to make this happen. I had $100 saved up but I had some medical expenses I had to take care of. One of my promises to her was to get my health straightened out and I'm keeping that promise.

     If no one wants to help, I understand. Like I say, this is not life or death. I just want to show her how much I love her.

     Thanks for your time.

reddit.com
u/Brilliant_Shine2247 — 16 days ago