the ladro man.

My post yesterday was filled with sunshine and relaxation. Indeed it was such a day. But, as I finished out my day, I couldn't stop thinking about the cafe ladro man I observed out of the corner of my sunglasses.

Here I was, stting in my window seat, sun flooding the table I sat at. My sunglasses were a necessity [and are always helpful in keeping my creeper-status downplayed. Hey, I like to people watch]. Ladro man walked in, wheeling in a huge piece of lugggage. Attached to the luggage was a 10 gallon bucket, sealed with a lid. He wheeled right up to a table near my own, popped off the lid on the bucket, and proceeded to set up an office space.

While still absorbed in my book, I occasionally took glances up. Each glance held something new. A laptop came out of the bucket. A telephone complete with a phone jack. Papers and flash drives cluttered the table. 20 ounces of hot tea in ladro's sunny yellow to-go cups. This man was completely intriguing. He went about his business. Reading papers, figeting with his dark beard, his bald, shiny head bent over his computer, reflecting the sun pouring through the window. His clothes were clean, with a hint of unkemptness. I went back to reading. Another glance up, and I noticed he had donned some reading glasses. While one of the arms of the glasses remained intact, the other had a piece of string in its place. This piece of string wrapped around his entire head, tied off on the intact arm.

I felt an overwhelming sense of empathy. I wanted to know his story. Why was he here? What was he doing? I thought about the pairs of glasses that I own. My usual prescription pair; an old prescription pair kept in my glove box for the sole purpose of boosting my night vision; my various pairs of sunglasses kept in various places so that I won't have to endure one minute of being uncomfortable in the sun.

It made me think of the topic of homelessness; a topic I am comfortable around; people I enjoy interacting with; people I interact with on a daily basis; a topic I spent hours and hours on last year, as I worked with various organizations in order to raise awareness. I do not know if this man was homeless or not; most likely yes. But it gave me something to think about. Gave me a moment to think not of myself, not of the materials of the world that constantly circulate. Gave me a moment to think of the cafe ladro man, who tied his glasses together with string.