Ok, I’m awake
Although the jolt from what I experienced today didn't result in pain or damage, it made me look up and pay attention.
Let me explain. Today was our dog, Pilot's, bath day. I failed Dog Bathing 101, so I took her to Petsmart where they make it look easy.
Pilot has two dog beds - one in the living room and one in her kennel. I decided that I would take the covers off the beds and launder them as well as two towels that are hers. They needed some extra washing love, so I thought it would be better to go to the laundromat. It's been about 5 years since I last used a laundromat when our dryer broke. Relying on that experience, I felt like I knew exactly what to do. I've got my roll of quarters and detergent. I'm all set.
I walked in the laundromat, and it looked clean...Whew! Ok, we're off to a good start. The machines appeared to be fairly new, and I began to familiarize myself with them. I quickly noticed that the cost of each wash was $5.50. What the...?? I was surprised! I started pulling memories forward in my brain so I could recall how much I spent per load the last time I went to the laundromat. I know it definitely wasn't $5.50. I immediately felt this overwhelming compassion for the people in the laundromat who had numerous loads of laundry to do. That's a lot of money, especially when you add in the cost to dry the clothes. How in the heck do these people afford this? I was so grateful that I only had one load to wash.
I had 24 minutes before the load was going to finish, so I jumped back in my car and drove to the post office to drop off some mail. I drove back to the laundromat after I picked up some lunch that I could eat in the car. I timed myself and walked back in the laundromat just a bit after my time limit to move my dog bed covers and towels to the dryer. To my surprise, the towels were gone! Wait...what??? Normally, I would have been mad. However, I felt my body flood with sadness.
You see, these towels were old and torn. Pilot likes to gnaw on towels when she is bored. Don't ask me why...I just try to keep my eye on her and hope she grows out of it by the time she's ten years old or something like that. Back to the missing laundry. My sadness shifted into gratitude that they didn't take my dog bed covers. Then, BOOM, my sadness was back. It felt suffocating. Why would people be so desperate to take my gnarly, old towels? What else do they need? Clothes? Food? Toiletries? Blankets? Shelter? Love?
This situation cracked me open and got me thinking. I need to face the fact that I'm living in a bubble. My bubble is full of everything I need and want. It includes so many things that many people don't have...like a washer and dryer that don't come close to costing me almost $9 per load.
The economic disparity in our communities is widening. Our communities are forming into segments (the “haves” and the “have nots”) more and more before our eyes. The media creates a veil that few people ever lift. It's too painful and once you lift it you can't un-lift it. At a deep level, lifting the veil means you really should do something about it, especially if you have the means to do so. How do we make a dent in helping the over 40 million people in the US that are barely surviving?
I'm not going to pretend to have all the answers. I can, however, share ways that I am making changes in my world to support those in need. Below are several options. Maybe some or all of these resonate with you. Adopt the ones you can.
• Donate food, money, clothing or time to your local homeless shelters and food banks. Validate which shelters and food banks are run with integrity. You should see at least 90% or more of your money going directly to those in need.
• Donate time or money to transition programs where you live. These agencies offer programs, resources and tools to individuals through access to social services including caseworkers, healthcare, mentorship and housing. This is also a great place to donate work clothes.
• Donate time, money or expertise to organizations that focus on helping individuals overcome barriers such as lack of affordable housing, health care and living-wage jobs, systemic racism, mental health challenges, chronic health conditions, substance use disorder and time spent in the justice system.
The factors that contribute to homelessness or living below the poverty line are complex. A web of structural weaknesses and individual circumstances surrounds each person, leaving them vulnerable at many points in their lives. Our cities are filled with more people than ever, and it is easy to intentionally or unintentionally ignore the people in need. The more we take care of our neighbors, the more our communities will thrive for years to come.