“People resist change because they focus on what they have to give up instead of what they have to gain.” ~ Unknown
I don’t know how it was at your house, but up home, we’d often say that bad luck with finances would land you on Skid Row. Skid Row is a real place, a neighbourhood to the east of DTLA that’s been a sanctuary for the homeless since the 1930s Great Depression. During our mural tour last Saturday, we passed through Skid Row on the way to the hotel just a few blocks away. The first night I was in DTLA, I was struck by the number of homeless people I passed on our way to and from dinner. I didn’t realize how close to Skid Row we were or that the homeless population in DTLA and Skid Row is estimated to be nearly 70,000. That number is simply staggering to me. That’s bigger than most U.S. cities. Shoot, that’s as big as all of EKY. As the days rolled by, and I stepped outside the hotel’s safety, I saw signs of these desperate folks everywhere I turned. The toll it took on my heart was big and unexpected. The last time I was in DTLA was in the 1980s, and sure there were homeless people then, but not like this. There were not 70,000 people living in tents on the sidewalks, relieving themselves whenever and wherever the urge hit, which was usually on the sidewalks, and rats scurrying through the streets like it was a normal day. As much as it hurt me to see the naked truth of the human condition of so many souls, it also made me eternally grateful for a roof over my head, a steady job, food to eat, and a rat-free bed to lay in at night. Thanks be to God that my bad luck with finances – and I’ve had my share – never landed me on Skid Row.
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