"Always sleep outside churches."

A life in Boston

Everyday after work, I walk down Newbury Street. Outside a church, I always see a women selling tainty pieces of water-colors for $3 each. We smile and nod to each other, but today, after my last day of work, I decided to take a moment and say hello.

Her name is Lisa. She's an artist and she is homeless. She always sleep on the steps of churches, "Even really aweful people get feel a heavy conscious when they see a cross. It's the safest thing to do when you're on the streets."

She wears a whistle everyday in case she feels threatened at night. She camps out with a group of several women, and they take turns sleeping at night. They watch out for each other.

Lisa's world is an unkind place. She worries about getting TB from other homeless persons, she worries about her safety, and she worries mostly about the dreaded, upcoming winter.

I think I'm going to say hello to people more often. When you take the time to speak to another person, you recognise his/her humanity, and learn about a world you never knew existed before.