I love to chat with the homeless because a lot of the time they are not much different then you and me, aside from the fact that they have made a wrong decision along their journey or have come across a bit of bad fortune.
I've had a lot of people ask where I got the image of the homeless person in the Life After Midnight header. Well the gentleman's name is Cornelius. I met him when I was in San Francisco at the Fisherman's Wharf pier. He was sitting along a bench with the headset on listening to the radio. I kind of snuck up on him to give him a couple dollars in exchange for a few pictures for a photography assignment.
I must say he was pretty excited to strike a pose and to chat with someone. Cornelius was a member of the Air Force and the 401 Tactical Fighter Wing command in the 1960's. After serving there he made his way to Chicago which he called home for 10 plus years. For years he detailed high end luxury cars (Bentley's of course). He never shared with me the exact reason he was forced out of his home or how he found his way to San Francisco but he did share with me his faith.
It was definitely inspiring to see how someone, with nothing to call their own aside from a bike piled with a few belongs, could still have some hope in life. This is one of my goals for the year. To go out of my way to initiate conversations with people who might fly under the radar. Sometimes a few words is all it takes to create hope. When you think you have it bad in life someone definitely has it worse.
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