Vancouver Angel One... For Jim with love.

I made a new friend today. His name is Jim.
Jim is homeless.


At a moment in which I felt a little lonely
I met him in front of a supermarket.

Jim was sitting on the sidewalk
where I parked my bike.
He wore smelly clothes
and his hair looked very messy.
I looked at him and  wondered;
could he be my friend for now?
I told myself to -at least- give it a try.

I asked Jim if I could sit next to him for a couple of minutes.
His answer was; “Of course!”
So we started talking.
About life. And about people.
About how good life was and how it sometimes just sucks.
About how nice people are and how rude they can sometimes be.
He almost made me cry.

While smiling at me,
he took my hand and assured me
that life was still good for him.

Jim talked and I listened. That’s what we silently agreed upon.
He told me how he can solely drink his food,
since he has only two teeth left.
Jim bragged about his two teeth.
So I bragged about my two ears.
And then we laughed together.

When I asked Jim what he needed…
his answer was; “a jug of milk.”
“What else, Jim?” I asked.
He thought about it. For almost ten seconds.
I appreciated that.
He then shook his head and said:
“No…just a jug of milk.”

While smiling at him,
I took his hand and assured him
that I’d buy him anything he needed.
He looked at me as if I hadn’t understood his request.
I almost felt ashamed.

And so I nodded and turned around.
I promised him I’d be back with his milk.
He made a joke about how he hadn’t planned on going anywhere.
“Make it 2 percent milk!” he added seriously.
I smiled as I entered the supermarket.


I made a new friend today. His name is Jim.
Jim teaches so called 'strangers' what “home” feels like.