| The End of the Tunnel project and The Tunnel newsletter would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! Of course, we know that the down-trodden, miserable-life look is all the rage on the street corners–that’s just part of the game–but I was surprised at how spirited the homeless community can be at Christmastime. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they’re not stressed over crowded stores, in-laws, traffic, or what to get for that hard-to-shop-for person in our lives. I wandered around the park and south of town among the tents, expecting… I don’t know… lamentation?? I figured, if the holiday season is the most dangerous time for people who are alone, missing someone, or not where they really expected to be, then the homeless camps would surely be wrought with long faces and lament. I was prepared to listen to their stories and offer a hand in refocusing, redirecting, that sort of thing. What I found was what any rational person should have expected had they thought the whole thing through (something of a recurring lesson, here). These folks have all the time in the world to wallow in every sort of emotional torment, and they’ve already dealt with it. Only the newcomers really get to feel that “First Christmas on the street” despair. The self-pity has run its course through most of the folks in the tunnel, so there’s nothing left to do at Christmastime but–enjoy it. |
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| One small group of five was passing around shoddily wrapped gifts and smiling toothy threats of what would befall the others should they dare open said gifts pre-Christmas. They eventually tore into each of them, laughing at the absurdity of each treasure–a D.A.R.E. pin, an impossibly dirty sock, a cigarette lighter with no fluid left in it–gag gifts. I can’t say what it meant to them, but to me, it was a reminder that we’re all just people, and that laughter makes us all forget what went wrong, where we are, how we hurt, or who we’re not. |
| No doubt, the holidays can bring out the best in people. Likewise, it can get stressful and downright depressing sometimes, but in the tunnel, that’s just Tuesday. Having witnessed what I honestly hadn’t expected, I was a little disappointed that my plan to broach reintegration through the mention of reconnecting with family wasn’t going to work. It just wouldn’t be appropriate. I’m used to being the inspirational one–the spark of hope, the ray of light–but people are surprisingly cheerful, even in the tunnel, this time of year, and why be the buzzkill who reminds them of how miserable their lives are? There will be plenty of time for that come January. So, when you see your local homeless guy or gal on the street, don’t forget to throw them a “Merry Christmas” now and then. As for The Tunnel, do us a favor and, if you have someone near to grab, grab onto them and give ’em a squeeze on our behalf. Merry Christmas. |