Practicing Generosity When Times are Hard

I really shouldn't call him the rap for food guy his name is Anthony. I used to see him a few times a week when I was on my way to work or taking my children to school downtown. When I saw him, he was on the corner of 55th and Kinsman.

The corner is a premium spot for people who aren't afraid to ask strangers for money. Sometimes there is a representative from the Nation of Islam slinging bean pies, fruit cups and Final Call newspapers. Sometimes there are adolescents selling bottled water and occasionally, there is some scruffy white dude with a sign saying he is a veteran down on is luck. The various hustlers seldom worked the corner concurrently. I once saw the Nation of Islam minister and the children at the same time but there was usually one individual or a group of children. A few years back I would see groups of children raising money for sports equipment. There were always accompanied by an adult that I suspected of being shady.

All these groups like this location because the light stays red for a frustratingly long time at least 2 minutes. Kinsman ends at 55th but it's not a dead end it runs at an angle into its sister street Woodland. Both streets are excellent routes to take from Shaker Heights and suburbs beyond to downtown Cleveland. 55th crosses almost every major thoroughfare on the east side of Cleveland. I never gave Anthony any money in exchange for his jubilant burst of freestyle entertainment. Generally, we would donate an apple of some other healthy snack. He always thanked us and seemed happy to see us. He usually had a big smile on his face. There were times when I could tell he had been having a rough day, but he didn't look forlorn for very long. His song lyrics were about the same quality as the lyrics played on commercial hip-hop radio stations. Without the background music the rapping itself wasn't that enjoyable but it was pleasant to see this young man so enthusiastic despite his unconventional circumstances.

One day he said, “I want to give you something”.

It was some sort of apple pie like creation that came in a little box. It wasn't the type of thing I would have purchased for myself, but it was edible.

It's been a while since I've seen Anthony, the children attend school online and I now work in a small village near Warrensville Heights.. I worry about him and other people like him. There are so few places for street people to go in the era of the pandemic. I don't know if Anthony will be able to survive the winter. For all I know he could have already passed. He told me ha had been assaulted at least once. He and his street corner comrades are always in danger of being hit by a car. I often have an urge to tell the water vending children to get out of the street, but on hot days I'm glad the water is available.

Anthony wasn't the only street person who ever gave me something.

When I lived on Maui some guy who looked like a veteran down on his luck gave me Four dollars and some change. He told me to take the kids to McDonald's. He told me the holy spirit had moved him to practice generosity. He clearly had very little but was happy to do as commanded. I was happy to have an excuse not to cook that day.

As a single parent with plenty of bills it's easy for me to feel like I don't have anything to spare. There were times when I had to buy stuff from the dollar store using all spare change. It was frustrating for me and the cashier. Luckily this was on a day where there wasn't a long line.

I experienced a time when the line was too long and people were getting impatient because one woman didn't really have enough money to get all the things she needed. Her coupon didn't work and she was having trouble deciding which item to put back. Her dilemma was solved by another woman who simply asked the cashier how much she was short and gave her the difference. This simple action benefitted not only the woman who clearly needed both bleach and detergent, but also everyone in the line who had somewhere else to go. I can get annoyed when people tell me they don't have any food in the house, or they need gas money. It's easy to think that these people are just trying to take advantage and they need to learn how to budget their money. I know the government gives out food stamps and churches give out food boxes and even provide hot meals. It's hard to believe anyone who ask for money or food by the side of the road is really in danger of starving, but I give anyway. If a man who raps for food and a guy who can't even afford a comb can brighten someone day with generosity so can I.