The forecast tonight in Washington is for a low of 8 degrees and wind-chills of -9. My teeth were chattering when I walked to the Metro...and it wasn't even close to 8 degrees yet. Knowing that this was coming, I made chili yesterday. I'm bundled in two sweaters and just threw a quilt over my shoulders...indoors...with heat. I just did something I almost never do: made cocoa. Around me, volunteers have been rounding up 11,000 homeless people from the streets of our nation's capitol.
I haven't lived where it was this cold very often since I was in college. But, when it was this cold, I am embarrassed to say that, until this week, I never thought about what was happening to the people who were homeless. Half the nation is experiencing wind-chills below zero tonight. Some places in the Midwest have wind-chills forecast to as cold as -56. It is so cold that schools have been closed because it is dangerous to be out for a short bit to get there. Everyone of those cities has homeless people. My heart is breaking.
What's different today? I've never actually known someone when the person was homeless before. (See "Expect the Unexpected," 12/14/13.) I've thought about Alexander off and on all day. When I met him, he had a place in a shelter at night, but had to leave all day. It has been bitter today. I thought I was going to freeze hot-footing it a block to the Metro after work. (Is there cold-footing?) I can't imagine that he's been out in this cold all day....and he hasn't been alone.
I met Alexander while playing The Grocery Store Game (12/1/13.) My intention was to make connections. I couldn't have imagined that on a cold night almost a month later that our short meeting would have changed how I think about the weather.
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