A Look at a Homeless Man

The next time you see a homeless man,this is what you should think of.Charles was homeless for six or eight years(I'm not sure if he wasn't good at math or just didn't care,but he wasn't sure how long he had been homeless).I met him in the middle of this period.Not only was he a Navy veteran,he had a college degree in history.Listening to him talk about the history of wars the U.S. has been involved in was amazing.

He was an alcoholic and a diabetic,and between the two he ended up on the streets.Among his friends he was famous for two things.He was the most peaceful man you could ever meet.In his opinion,there wasn't a problem in the world that couldn't be solved by sitting down and drinking beer and discussing it quietly.Looking back now,I think he was probably right.The other thing he was famous for was drinking.The man could consume more beer than any other human being I have ever met in my entire life.

After years of sleeping in a tent,he had been admitted to the hospital for an infection in his toe from diabetes when he was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer.The radiation and chemotherapy made him sick,so after about a year he just quit going.He didn't want to spend his last days sick,so he told his nurses and doctors to leave him be.His exact words were"I want to die with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other."Other than the last two months of his life spent in hospice,thats exactly how he lived,on his own terms.

When I went to visit his grave,I didn't see anything saying "rich","poor",or "homeless",all I saw was hundreds and hundreds of markers honoring men who had served their country in a time of war.Charles may have spent years living in a tent in the woods getting by the best he could,but he's spending eternity among heroes,as it should be.

Rest in peace brother,you were loved by all.