Homeless

Homeless     This morning, on my way to work (after my one hour elliptical workout from 5-6am) at 7:30am, I was parking my car and had wrapped up a call with my friend; I’m walking down the hill on 165th St. and Washington Heights when, suddenly, I hear a woman screaming! I can see a homeless woman from the back as her cart, filled with possessions, stand alongside the curb. I thought it was two homeless people fighting in the
 street, but as I got closer I can see that the woman who is screaming works at Columbia, and she was clutching her purse, trying to tear it from the grasp of the other woman! I immediately walked towards the both of them and as they separate, I walk in between them and proceed to act a little crazy distracting the homeless woman from approaching Claire, the woman from Columbia. So I stand out there, in the street, turn to the homeless woman and say flaring my arms, “What’s going on?!" Enough, that’s enough, time to go now” and the homeless woman starts to tell me how Claire tried to take her bag. I said “OK, OK, it’s over, enough, let’s go, let’s go!” I walk up to Claire, and ask her if she's alright.  “She tried to steal my bag, she’s crazy!” she said. I told her, “come I will walk with you, forget her- imagine how she feels!" "What department are you from", I inquired.  “Transplant,” she replied.  "Dr. Jean Emond?" I asked, now interested.  I remembered how he was one of the best liver transplant specialist in the country.  So we proceed to walk together down the hill and into the hospital at CUMC. Our haven of safety, our house of knowledge, the sanctuary that feeds our very lives. I turned to her and said “you are going to be alright, just shake it off-because in the grand scheme of things, we are the lucky ones…" she went her way, and I went mine.

And how was your morning?