An Inspiring Encounter With a Homeless Man

I have noticed if I step out of my comfort zone and go somewhere in the flow of unstructured time, I have very interesting encounters with people. Today was no exception.

For the first time I hiked down a trail from Las Casas to the beach. I was on the walkway strolling toward Temescal Canyon Road when I encountered a homeless man. I immediately was drawn to his solar panel with wires connected to it. I am very interested in renewable energy and asked him how he put it together.

He explained the value of the panel was $500, but he purchased it for $45 at a flea market. He explained how he had played with another kind of paneling, but this one worked the best. He went through much trial and error; things blew up and appliances were ruined in his search for the perfect configuration and battery for energy storage. He runs a T.V., radio, and portable dvd player off the solar panel. He also has a generator to charge his electric bicycle. He has a wagon he attaches to his bike that he packs his gear in when it's time to travel on.

I asked him if homelessness was by choice or forced upon him. He said he lost his home in Katrina. I asked if the authorities bother him. He said he is often told to move along. Sometimes he gets arrested or receives a ticket. He said this so matter-of-factly, just a part of life. He said he tries to keep to himself and not camp with the large groups of the mentally ill as that calls attention to the authorities. He says there are haves and have-nots, and he feels he will always be a have and live like a king with all the necessities of life.

He explained that he will be coming into some money in the spring and plans to purchase an acre of land in Northern California, so he's biding his time. He has no intention of ever owning a house again, but would prefer to live off the land in a motor home. Through zillow.com he has identified pieces of land that would be suitable for him and the lifestyle he seeks.

I told him that if the economy continues to contract, he's the most equipped to meet those changes. He said life is always changing. That's just the way it's been through all of history. He says he lives in the moment, dealing with the changes as they happen. He said the bad times remind us what good times are. It is his view that the current time is a lesson, a lesson in humility.

I asked him if all the ways he had pulled together things like his solar system was done little by little. He said this was true. He arrived with nothing and slowly pieced it altogether. I told him it reminded me of the movie Cast Away. He acknowledged it was very much like that.

I thanked him for his time and for all he shared. I was so struck by his wisdom and his long view of life. His perspective and his attitude was inspiring. He had fallen from a certain economic level and landed beautifully on the ground with a mind as clear as a bell and even a plan. I got the sense that no matter what happens, he knows he will be all right. It's the same knowing the character Chuck Noland expressed by the end of Cast Away when he gave that smile to the camera while pondering which road to travel.