Here's a quick story..........................Yesterday a man went down to the Fourteenth Street Takeout and asked a kayaker with a VCU sticker on his car if he knew Justin Harris or had seen him around. The kayakers response was "That guy is kind of a dick." The man responded, "yea, I've heard that before", and then walked away.
Now, here is the interesting part. The man who was looking for me is a homeless man named Lindy who is a friend of mine. Every week I give Lindy some cans of food out of the back of my car, and when he was sick I helped him find a doctor that would see him for free. (Thank you to the person who hooked me up with that connection. You know who you are and I know you are reading this.) Lindy was looking for me yesterday because he was hungry and was hoping I had some cans of food for him, which I did.
Here is my point. Whomever it was that responded to Lindy when he was looking for me, thank you. Thank you for demonstrating the true character of what Fourteenth Street has come to represent. You looked a homeless man in the eyes and called the one kayaker who has taken the time to try to help him a dick. When Lindy told me this story today over coffee I asked him how often he went to Fourteenth Street. He said that he has been using the Porta Potty there for over a year. Then I asked him how many times a kayaker had seen him and offered to help him or give him food. He responded "you are the only kayaker who has ever helped me".
When Lindy saw a doctor, the prognosis was not good. Lindy is dying, and he will do it in the streets. That is his reality. He has been homeless for 27 years and is a self proclaimed "professional bum". I interviewed Lindy over coffee a few months ago and his story is fascinating. I decided to invite him to whitewater raft to The Island with me on July 3rd so he could see the fireworks from what is the best spot in RVA. Lindy rocked the river and had a perfect view of the fireworks. (Thanks Venture. They were bad ass!) I pitched him the spare tent and he spent the night. When I woke up at sunrise, Lindy was asleep on his sleeping pad, laying just outside the door of his tent, under the trees............my thoughts when I saw this....."he truly is a pro bum."
Lindy and I paddled out the next morning and when he arrived at Fourteenth Street his smile was a mile wide. After packing up the raft I asked him how he liked the trip and the island. He told me that he loved it all.....the whitewater, the island, and being able to hang out with someone that was patient and didn't judge him for being homeless. I told him anytime he wanted to go back, he was always welcome.
Yea, you guys are right............I am a dick. See ya on the rivah!
