The First Time I Smiled In A Week.
From Community Listener Sam Lundquist:
I never wanted to talk to Bob. In fact, I avoided even getting near him. But sharing an unexpected moment with him wrecked my life, opened me up, and helped me see my neighbors a little more clearly.
.::.
It was October 2009. I had just gotten my new video camera, and I was eager to test it out. What better place to capture some remarkable footage than Downtown LA—an unsavory mix of the über-rich and the poor. Where one block of elite high rises gives way to an alley of panhandlers, makeshift tents, and overflowing shopping carts. It’s a disparity that I don’t think I will ever understand, which is partly why I find it so fascinating.
I began filming. First some shots of cars. Some close-ups of crumpled paper getting teased by the wind. I followed a pigeon as it scuttled across the sidewalk. There’s a strange ecology to the city. Beyond the hustle and bustle of actual people, a lot of things just happen. It’s a very active place, and it’s surprisingly exhilarating to observe, inspect, and record those hidden goings-on.
At this point, “The Hope Chronicles” was a growing idea, but not yet a reality. No conversations had been recorded. No journals had been passed out. No website existed. But on a whim, October 2009 became the first day that the hopes of Los Angeles would be collected. Without even realizing it at the time, we had our first conversations on Hope Street. I talked with a few people—a security guard, someone drinking a smoothie, a “sign spinner”—and got some poignant, relatively interesting responses. Our conversations were short, but I still felt enlightened.
As I made my way down the street, I eventually came across a man begging for money in front of the Sheraton Hotel. This was nothing unusual, although this man was having a hard time getting any response—mainly because of the tube in his neck. As he would approach strangers and begin to speak, his breathing tube would get clogged with mucous-y gunk, which would make him cough and hack this gunk all over people. He could barely talk, he was dirty, and he was sick. No one was responding to him, and frankly I didn’t want to deal with him either. So I walked quickly past.
Tags: abuse, downtown, health, homeless, hug, los angeles, smile
2 comments
That’s a great story and amazing that you helped Bob and made him smile. We hope that more people like you will spread love, hope, and the word of God!
This story reminds me of the song: “Words”
that starts with…
“Smile an Everlasting Smile
A smile can bring you near to me”
This is a heavenly Eternal work,
and I thank God for that ‘first smile
in a week’ story. Thank you so much!!!