As I was walking to work today, I was looking around to try to catch something interesting to take a picture of. I work in the Mission District of San Francisco, so it isn't the typical "tourist" scenes you would see in travel shows and magazines. This part of town is reflective of the immigrant population, poverty, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised. You see the every day things - parents rushing their children to school; people running to catch the bus; shoppers and workers entering and exiting the underground BART train station.
As I walk to my office, I pass a food bank. About 30 people were waiting outside to pick up a few bags of groceries that I saw this morning included a large bag of oranges. I also passed a man sleeping on the street, his bed an assortment of comforters, his breakfast consisting of mayonnaise and bagels. I feel a small twinge of guilt as I pass him by with my McDonald's breakfast in hand.
So, as I pass all these things that make me think, I keep glancing at the sky. There are two major storms heading our way - 6" of rain through Sunday, up to 10' of snow in the Sierras. We need the rain, but I think of those standing in line for food, or even those sleeping on the streets. I get to go home to a warm house and full pantry. What choices do they have?
It makes one pause and realize even on our worst day how lucky we really are as long as the basics are covered.
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