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Dealing With Homelessness

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A small event can have an unexpected positive impact on you for the rest of your life. In my case, the important event came in the form of a homeless man who stood in front of a nearby pizza place every day.

I always felt pity for the rugged-looking people I often saw along the street. On this particular day, I spied the homeless man that I occasionally passed by on my way back home from school. He was in front of a pizza parlor with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched over. I had always passed him by, although something about the way he looked on that day stopped me as I came closer to him. Before I knew what I was doing, I had dug my hand into my bag and grabbed half a handful of coins. I made my way over to him. He eagerly outstretched his wrinkled palm towards me and I dropped the coins in his hands, noticing the cigarette hanging from his mouth and the redness of his eyes. I started to walk away when he called out, "Thank you." His voice was low, soft, but I definitely heard him. The amount of emotion present in his voice stunned me. Tears unwillingly sprang to my eyes and for the first time that …show more content…
I began to do this with other people I came across on the street, whenever I had something to give. It took me a while to realize that the happiness I felt came from helping people, even if it was in a little way. I could feel myself changing every day and in different places, such as my school, home, and within my community. I assisted my mother more at home when it came to carrying out chores and helping my siblings with their homework. At school, I would complement people on little things like, their shoes, hair, or even handwriting. It could be something as small as helping somebody pick up spilled papers or carrying a few books for a friend when his/her load was too much, but I helped anyone whenever I

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