I was scrolling through Revscene this morning and I found a post by Kevin that had me moved. Needless to say, this photo and story was to powerful to be hidden from public eye. I shot Kevin off a msg and explained that I wanted more views and readers; he agreed.
As quoted,
I was on the bus to PNE to pick up my Olympic Accreditation pass when I saw Mike sitting outside a grocery store at Hastings and Nanaimo. What caught my eye was how he was hugging his dog, Blue.
I made a mental note to come back and talk to him and perhaps get a picture. Just seeing him from the bus, I got the feeling he was interesting and had a story to tell.
I approached him and said that I had $5 which he could either have or I could buy him something to eat. He took the money instead, showing me a cut on his hand that he needed some medicine for. His hands were in pretty bad shape, all beat up and arthritic. I asked him to tell me his story, his life, how he is where he is now.
Mike used to live in a high rise downtown on Robson St, where he had the life. This life was sustained through drug dealing and stealing, but he had it good. With money in the bank, nothing worried him. Until the day that karma caught up to him …and everything went downhill. From high to low, when he became bankrupt and lost all his money, he actually felt… peaceful. No longer did he have any burdens or worries to stress about, which is ironic he said, for someone who is homeless.
Now he just has his dog, Blue, a mix of Rottweiler & Blue Heeler to keep him company. Blue is now 7.5years old, and he got her when she was just 3years old. His eyes were set on her since she was just a pup at 6months old though, and he kept begging the owner for years before she relented. She’s a cutie and was definitely spoiled over the holidays, just look at how big she is!
Mike is super friendly and you can tell he has the smarts to still set his life back on track. All the locals in the neighbourhood know him, saying hi to him as they walk by. Even this cute girl stopped to buy him some Church’s Chicken.
Sometimes, these conversations with strangers are the best and most heartwarming.
Edit: When I have the time, I want to print this out and give it to Mike. Please hold me accountable to this!