Back to life, back to reality

Yesterday I was feeling a little blah so I decided to go to yoga after work. The studio is just up the street from my apartment so I walked there, as per usual. On my way I passed a girl huddled in a sleeping bag, sitting in a storefront entrance. It was a cold night out, and she looked very cold.

After a great session, I was feeling all warm, calm and zen-like as I made my way back home. I passed this girl again and took a good look at her as I walked by. Her bright, blue eyes were wide open, full of sadness and fear and I could hear her shivering. She didn't look very old, possibly still in her teens - too young to be out on the street. The look in her eyes made me realize that for her, being out on the streets in the cold was better than the place she used to be. It made me sad. It pulled on my heart, bringing me back down to earth. I may have some issues I'm dealing with in my life, and some of them are not insignificant, but I still have a warm home and food in my stomach.

So when I got home, I decided to pack a lunch bag full of some things I had around the house - fruit, cookies, crackers and such - and was going to give this girl something to eat, buy her a coffee, and maybe get to know her story.

But when I returned she was gone.

I was kind of relieved.