three hundred twenty five

today i became acutely aware of what courage it must take to stand on a corner holding a sign that says: "family has fallen on hard times, anything helps." it was being held by a man, likely in his mid-40s, dressed like an average guy would dress. he was not some stereotypical drug addict or teen delinquent. he looked totally normal. he looked like a dad. he avoided nearly all eye contact; it was more than apparent how embarrassed he was to have to be standing there - begging. you could almost see him thinking, "how did this happen? how did it come to this?"

it actually made me start crying.