The man with the chair

[asakiyume]

Last week, both with my high school tutees and with my students at the jail, I asked them to pick one of four pictures from Humans of New York to write about. The assignment was to tell me about the person in the photo, then to ask that person some questions, and then, in that person's voice, to answer the questions.



I got two deeply contrasting stories about this man from my students at the jail. One saw him as an "intelligent graduate, following his big New York dream ... which is to play in the Apollo" to become a musician--but with a safety job as a lawyer. The other--an older woman, who's been homeless herself--saw him as homeless. The questions she wanted to ask him were very practical: would you like a home-cooked meal; would you like a hot shower and a place to sleep; can I give you ten dollars "for something positive not negative."

Her answers almost undid me. She imagined him saying [paraphrasing], yes, I would love a home-cooked meal, as long as you let me do the dishes; yes I would love a hot shower, but only if you let me clean up after myself; a place to sleep on a couch or the floor would be great, and any amount of money would be appreciated. She finished with "I just wanted to thank you for being kind and offering all that to me."

Comments

[amaebi]

wow, that's shivery to me.

[asakiyume]

Which part--or all?

I was sobered by just how differently two people can view the same person, and awed by the sincerity and grace of the replies of the formerly homeless student.

[amaebi]

That sincerity and grace are what gave me shivers.

[amaebi]

The both-sideness of it, and the vision of what prospering entails, as well as the gratitude for support on the other side.

[asakiyume]

Nodding along with both of your replies.

[queenoftheskies]

That is very powerful.

[asakiyume]

Yeah, really both are. I focused more on the second, but the first was too.

[sovay]

She finished with "I just wanted to thank you for being kind and offering all that to me."

I hope when she was homeless someone was as kind to her as she would have been.

[asakiyume]

I asked her if anyone had ever offered these things to her, and she said yes, and I felt awed and grateful that there were such good people in the world.

[minoanmiss]

... wow.

[asakiyume]

Yeah--that's why I had to write about it.

[a_muse_d]

Yes, that made me tear up

[asakiyume]

Me too as I was typing the entry!

[cmcmck]

Proving that kindness can get us a long was which is why I love 'random acts of kindness day' so much!

[asakiyume]

^_^

[wayfaringwordhack]

Thank you for sharing this. *hearts your brightness and that of the women*

[asakiyume]

You're very welcome ^_^