While eating by the front of a restaurant in the window space, this woman and I made eye contact and she turned to come into the restaurant. She said she was really hungry and asked if she could sit down with me. As she wolfed down the food that was left of the meal she asked me, “Are you looking for a good time?” I told her no thanks and started asking her about her life. She said she had just moved down here a few months ago from Washington to work the streets to clear a debt her mother had accumulated because she was a heroin addict. That she was just holed up in some space her pimp had for her. 

The whole thing was sad and weighed heavy on my heart. The darker parts of life can be overwhelming and uncomfortable but I feel sometimes it’s important just to acknowledge the bleak realities some people live in and to have compassion. To have gratitude for the things you are blessed with and focus on what’s really important to you.