August 6, 2009 - Thursday
 | Current mood:  accomplishedHeya Folks. I've been remiss about recording my activities, so I'll hit the highlights here. Let me start earlier, than later. I had spotted some gang graffiti belonging to the Gangster Disciples along a bike path (frequented by families) near the skate park. These gang wannabes don't realize how fortunate it is that this crotchety conservative old-money town thought enough of their youth to consider building something like a skate park for them. I'm sure there were a few important people in power who thought it was a lousy idea. A lot of times, the park gets tagged, but the city cleans that up often the next day. The stuff I spotted wasn't getting taken care of, so I went out there and grayed it over. I've seen the tagger's work before and he signed it on the path itself with the same paint and style. M.L., I wish you didn't have the same initials as my Friend, Master Legend, because you don't deserve to share those letters with him, punk. ___ Different patrol. This one, last Saturday: I had some supplies that I had built up, so I took them out for some deliveries and a patrol of the city. I started out with a cruise of the town and surveying some of the areas of recent troubles. Nothing I could notice or do anything about. I want to remind you though, that when I say, "I went here and then to there," for instance, I'm always looking for someone to lend a hand to. When we suit up, it doesn't pay to be entirely tunnel-visioned about your next move. Ya gotta be open to happenstance. I went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. I had a couple of boxes of things to donate. We should remember that what's useless clutter to you or I might be of use or even invaluable to someone else. No great events there, but I show up in costume to donate, regardless. People have to see that what THEY'RE doing on an everyday basis is Heroic. They should feel like they're wearing a cape or have superpowers, because they're doing fantastic work. I cruise the town, looking, knowing I'll find something, someone who just needs a bit of help or even a good laugh out of meeting a "superhero". I spot him holding a cardboard sign at U.S. 14 near Hy-Vee south. He's got nothing and his sign says that he's trying to get money. I REALLY try never to give money, so I head to KFC to get some food for him instead. I park a ways away in the nearest legal parking spot and I need to stroll a pretty good distance to get to him. There's a lot of traffic. This is the part that I sorta enjoy, but also downright hate. I know that until I get to him and get back, I'm being watched by SO MANY people, SO MUCH traffic. This is a big part of the "inspiring" that many of seek to do. I'm seen by so many folks, carrying him some food. But y'know what? The most important part is obviously when I meet and talk to him after I hand him what I can afford to give him. I always try to talk to "The Forgotten" (My term - and please don't think it's condescending. I think of it as unjustified and enobling.) and hear their story or whatever they're comfortable sharing with me. I'm never trying to pry or judge, but a lot of times, these guys don't have a lot of folks to talk to. I always try to leave as soon as it feels appropriate. I certainly don't want them to lose potential donations because they're seen talking to an RLSH, y'know? I also want to add that I don't have an agenda of prescribed religion or a social re-adjustment, but I do carry some basic helpful phone numbers and addresses they might contact if they wish. The man never offered his name and I didn't find it appropriate to ask. He has a system to get by that some people might judge, but it's the most successful one HE can figure out to get by with his skills and disadvantages. It's actually honest and direct. More honest than some. And the walk back to my vehicle is especially useless, except that by that time, I feel pretty good and hope that everyone watching is wondering if they could take that extra step to give a stranger a hand. I patrol onward, to the rest of the city. This is still a daylight patrol in a vehicle. I come across another homeless man who I've heard about at Hwy 52 and 2nd St. SW. I saw him, but there's again, nowhere near to park. So I get some food at the McDonald's and have a ways to walk to him, too. It's not really the DISTANCE this time, but all of the traffic and the LONG time between "walk lights" there. I was seen by a LOT of people in cars. And some of you guys know me, I don't like to wear my mask unless there are cameras going off. I like people to see me smile and know that I'm friendly, instead of some kind of bandit-kook or something. I want everyone to know that Geist is a Friend to the innocent civilian, but the lawbreakers better look out. So I kept my head down as I walked or waited, which, with my wide-brimmed hat, basically keeps my entire face out of sight. I walked up to the guy. I was actually behind him and didn't want to startle him. I said, "Excuse me, Sir? -Sir?" Just a note, I've had a lot of people who were down on their luck tell me, "You don't need to call me Sir (or Ma'am)." And I really don't know if this is the best response or not, but it's what I've said, "But everyone deserves to be called Sir or Ma'am sometimes, don't you think?" Geeze, I might not be the best person to judge, but he was a nice looking, relatively young man with the clearest blue eyes you've ever seen. Not a sign of drugs or abuse of any kind. Or am I being naive? Is that actually a sign of meth or something else? I've never seen anyone on meth and known it. Y'know, I dunno and I can't truly tell yet. The only thing I could tell was this was a guy who needed a hand. He said his name was Tom (No, not my Friend, Thomas who frequents 52 S.) And I had some food for him. The rest - possible substance abuse - is not something I have a whole lot of control over. But maybe I need to recognize a lot of those signs to figure out (not to judge, but to help) how they might see avenues of help, instead of holding up a cardboard sign along the highway. He's got me thinking that I need to know a whole lot more about visual signs of abuse than I do right now. He was a nice guy, btw. The walk back to my vehicle was as interesting as the walk to where he was. -A lot of waiting for lights and knowing me, a lot of brief waves of acknowledgement to people smiling or laughing at me. I'm not the Badass type of RLSH who cares if people laugh at me. Heck, right there I'm doing some good for people, right? My pride doesn't have a whole lot to do with what I do or why I do it. Thus, one of the many reasons for the mask. -Take no credit. So THEN, (It was a REALLY good day), I went to the Dorothy Day House because I had a grocery bag of stuff and also a bunch of soap and shampoo (hotel style) that I thought they could use. Truly, it wasn't as much as I'd like to give (times hit me hard, too). I also had personal dobts as to whether it might better to toward the people in need in St. Charles, where the recent fire happened and unemployed so many people. But I wasn't up for a drive to St. Charles to donate so little. So I went to Dorothy Day and nooo... the nice older lady at the front desk wasn't the very cool teenagers who recognized me last time I was there. Ah well. She had never heard of me, and that's okay. Expect that volunteers at places like that rotate quite a bit. At least I knew which way the door opened this time. ;-) And I rationalized, of course... It's ONE bag of groceries and St. Charles is 20 miles away. Yeah, we all make logistical and ethical choices. I will try to never argue a dumb choice like that made by another Real-Life Superhero. By the nature of the "secret identity" business, most of us have a whole lot more going on than we're going to talk about. Think about it, the majority of our time and our "real life" is something that we can't tell you much about. But I will say that the reason I haven't blogged in a bit is because of some family health issues. The outlook is now good, but it wasn't always. -And THAT had me freaked for a while. And when I'm freaked, I sometimes act like it. I know some of my online Friends unfortunately experienced THAT and I apologize. __ And no well-wishes necessary. (You probably don't realize this, but I KNOW you guys and I also know that it's already implied, Buds. And appreciated right back atcha!) I'm just making an apology for my lack of blogging and general rudeness lately. _____ Hey My Friends, I gotta go. Thank you for your great patience about my trivial exploits. Just in case you needed a reminder, we don't all need costumes to be Heroes, My Friends. That's not really the point of what RLSHs are doing at all. But it is ONE way to go about it, but there isn't ONLY one way to go about it. Be your own individual Heroes in your own way. My way is just weirder than some. ;-) Stay cool, My Cool Friends. All My Best, Geist |
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