100% Chance of Rain

The weather forecast predicted today would be cool and rainy. 100% chance of rain, in fact. Rain was expected all day long. And so it was. Grey skies and puddles all around. It was hard rain too. The kind that soaks your head and feet after only a moment of exposure. I wore rain boots and carried an umbrella and I still managed to get wet. The moisture was inescapable.

Earlier, while at work I was running and errand when a Street Vibes vendor named Dean approached me. We started walking and chatting together. He asked if I knew how long the rain was supposed to last. I told him: all day. I continued to explain to him that I had checked the weather the night before and that I was even looking forward to the rainy day, since we had been experiencing a dry spell.

Trying to spread my optimism I told Dean that I love the rain. He replied that it's easy to love the rain when you have somewhere to go. Dean hated rain.

Though they may have been obvious, his words struck me. I think that's just it - it was so obvious, but I hadn't even considered how different someone with no regular access to shelter would feel about a rainy day. Sometimes I'm so oblivious to my position of privilege.

I gave him my umbrella and thanked him. Yes, I was thankful for the Street Vibes, but mainly I was thankful for my moment with Dean.

It's easy to forget privilege because it isn't something you work hard for, or even something you deserve. Privilege is handed to you. Sure, I work hard to support myself. Sometimes I work 60+ hours a week, but I acknowledged that my path was paved. No one deserves to be homeless. It may make us feel better to attribute the homeless condition to bad decisions, poor work ethic, etc. Certainly those factors contribute to homelessness, but it's naive to ignore the societal factors that put some people in a position of privilege and leave others out in the cold.