Big Hat

I know you all probably get tired of hearing this but it is true, this is my time of the year! It's dry and it's hot and probably dangerous for someone with my disability with less than great body heat cold regulation but still I love the weather and the perfect weather for being out on the system and getting around on public transit. The only drawback is that this weather also brings out so many people from all walks of life many of those folks being low income or no income. I think many of these folk flock to the train and other public venues with severe air-conditioning as a respite from the heat of the day. Sad to say many of these folks are people with disabilities and many times I have to chide myself for being less than even a human being with these poor folk.

My whole career, my whole working career has been about information and providing information to people who need it. When I worked with Breakaway, Inc. I have been gave information about to the folks house trying to sell wheelchair vans to. When I became long-range planner at Dawn Enterprises, The major portion of my job was to provide information to individuals and communities, cities throughout southeast Idaho regarding disability options. In my career with Utah Independent Living Center where I was Community Resource Coordinator, again I researched, developed and provided information on disability needs as well as support for families dealing with disability issues and finally when I was manager at Access Utah Network (agency of the Utah state system) my full-time job was providing information to callers on disability questions. I ended my career working for 211 which was all about information and referral I know this kind of stuff.

I was on the train today heading into the city to pick up books for my First Chapter book group. I was tired and I was hot and I really didn't want to be disturbed. I was settled into my wheelchair station for the trip into the city and on the next stop in mind a person with a disability entered the train with a goofy hat and dangerously happy,she a big bag But could've been clothes or paperwork For her next go round with social service providers of one sort or another. She was looking around to make contact with anyone she could annoy . I took efforts to avoid eye contact at any cost;and another person Who entered with her pushed a the cart with what looked like everything she owned on the cart This one had a feral look in her eyes. The person with the cart was definitely homeless and had an attitude with which I didn't want to communicate . Sad to say, I wanted to be left alone on my trip down town. The two women crowded onto the other disability designated seating areas and begin our trip into town.

I swear we're four minutes into the trip when the lady went to have turned to the feral looking woman and asked her how her day was going. I felt myself grow rigid – – the homeless woman glared at the hatted woman and let off a series of words in the language that I swear came from a scene from either Rosemary's baby or the Exorcist. Big hat smiled at her and said are you homeless? Feral backed away and said something else in this weird language but blinked her eyes two or three times – big hat once again asked her if she were homeless and needed help. Feral blinked again and all the sudden the feral look vanished, her eyes softened and she spoke again in an accent that was either from the Caribbean are perhaps South African or something and responded that she was homeless and responded to the question with “thank you sister”. It was like this person was hiding behind the eyes of the feral person, homeless, probably hungry and most likely frightened.

I was astonished when Big Hat began referring this person to agencies and programs designed to help exactly who this person and needs she had. I was blown away. I was impressed and ashamed that this person took upon herself to be a one-man/woman information referral system that was perfect in nature and delivery. This person was truly her sister's keeper and she did it perfectly. I would say I saw miracles today where for one reason or another these two were met to meet and they did in goodness was done. I was just a witness in a poor witness that. I spoke with Big Hat a little after that. We are getting off at the same station. I was catching a bus and she was going over to the big hospital where she started off telling her favorite tale of everything that was wrong with her and how this hospital was going to help her get better. She helped the person she needed to an now was Slipping back into her hypochondria and search for the perfect professional will help her with the diagnosis and her own medical miracle to get her back in life… If she wants it.