2100 Lakeside: A New Perspective

Earlier in the week I sat in on a creative writing course that happens once a week at the shelter. Usually unable to engage in intellectual conversation, many of the guys requested that a workshop be put in place and this was the result. But during this session, we read a couple articles that pertained to decision-making and change. After gathering our thoughts, we exchanged ideas in a group discussion format. First most of the comments made directly related to the articles, but when we began to branch off, the conversation became much more real. Having a different perspective, I was not prepared to hear some of the things said in this situation. One comment that really stuck to me came when the economy was brought up and with a struggling economy, changes had to be made in everyone's lifestyles. The man sitting to the left of me looked at me and said if you have $15, do you spend that money to buy some gas in order to get to work and back the next day, in hopes of making some money, or do you feed your family that night. These are the kinds of decisions a lot of these guys are making on a daily basis, and I was left speechless. All I could do was sit back and reflect on what I had just heard, because it was nothing like anything I could ever imagine having to go through.