Project Self: Something, Grabs a Hold of Me Tightly

I seem to have a penchant for meeting some interesting folks. Last night was no different. I'm rockin' it out in Greenville, SC. The Southland. Pretty terrain, pretty weather, and pretty girls. I was downtown, which I've talked about in old postings as being a pretty cool area. So, I hit up the Blue Ridge Brewing Company again, for some good beer made on the premises, as well as some tasty food. After that I hung out over at The Corner Pocket, a sports bar/pool hall, and just did some people watching and a little conversing with the natives.

After I wrapped up my evening, I headed over toward the sushi joint that stayed open until 2am, only to find that they were closed. On my way over, I started chatting w/ this old-timer named "Ice." He was a black dude with dreads. Ice said that he was fifty, but he face showed a few more years than that. He wasn't dressed particularly well, but not particularly shabbily. I guessed that he was homeless, since he was just hanging out there on the street by himself. Then again, so was I, so maybe there was something else to it. It turned out that I was right.

We chatted for a while. Ice wasn't the "typical" homeless person. He never asked me for any money. He never had a story for me that was supposed to make it seem like I'd be just helping a brother out. I walked by him, and asked him, in passing, "How's it going?" He answered me, and walked along to tell me about it. It turned out that this fella actually had two college degrees. One in theology and one in psychology. But one doesn't end up wandering the downtown streets at that hour, unless they get derailed. Or are getting a PhD in Marketing. Which could be construed by many as getting derailed.

It turned out that Ice did a score in the Pen. Which would make him the 2nd convicted felon that I've chatted with in the past year. But Ice was different from the fella that CJ and I dined with back in the spring. This guy still had a sharp mind. He would drift off into a mumble at times, but he could still dial it in for some legitimate thought. He seemed genuine, charming, and in his own unique way, proud. Not about the life that he has. And not about the life that he lost - he was genuinely sad when he talked about how he never saw his kids grow up. But in how he was. Ice could still quote scripture. He liked Romans 8:31. When I offered that I personally liked Psalm 23, he quoted that to me, too. Ice still had hope. I liked Ice pretty much instantly. Anyone who has the stones to just walk and chat with someone like he did gets a gold star in my book.

I don't know how Ice is going to turn out. He does some odd jobs here and there, when there's work to be done - a little roofing here, a little plumbing there, and some landscaping in between. He's got some people that take care of him, make sure that he cleans up, and make sure that he gets a hot meal every once in a while. Chatting with him, it sounds like his biggest problems were that he smokes and the drinks a little too much. Of course, that's reminiscent of roughly all of the folks back at school. But for someone who still has a sharp mind, to only be able to do odd labor is not a good sign. Eventually, all bodies give out, and for those who are living out in the conditions, those sands flow a little faster. I think that Ice could be a heck of a preacher. But then again, what do I know?

I gave Ice my card. Asked him to go to the library and have someone teach him how to sign up for a free e-mail address so that he'd drop me a note every couple weeks. Or to ask to borrow a cell phone to drop me a line sometime. I gave him the little cash that I had on me, and I made him promise to buy only food with it. I don't know if he will do any of those things. I may never hear from or see Ice again. I hope that I do.

I have all sorts of questions in my head. I wonder about the system. I understand the need for prisons. What do we do with people after they're done with their time? In the heart of the Bible Belt, seeing the disdain one the faces of the relatively privileged, who were almost exclusively white, when looking upon the poor black was interesting, though I'm not sure why. What should the government do? What should the church do? What should individuals do? I'm not sure, but I'd love to hear some of Ice's thoughts on the matter.

Merry Christmas, Ice.

-Chairman