The Invisible People

Last week, it was cold. It was VERY cold. For three straight days, the temp gauge in my car read "are you kidding me?" Day after day it was at least 5 to 10 below zero. The enigmatic "wind chill factor" was almost comical. How could anyone survive these temps for more than two minutes, I thought. My hands were still hurting from gassing up close to work yet I'd been in this warm car for at least an hour. As my mind trailed off to the white sandy beaches of Panama City Beach, FL, I drove past the bus stop near the entrance of my subdivision.

I saw these two guys standing at the bus stop.

Their hands were pushed deep into their pockets as if searching for some long lost coin. Their shoulders hunched upward to protect their necks from the biting wind. Their eyes were watery and squinting as much from the headlights of oncoming traffic as the arctic air. And the dance. The rocking back-n-forth, right knee up, right knee down, left knee up, left knee down, then a quick hop-hop before going back to the side-to-side sway. The #omgitssocold dance.

Now, I've been driving by this bus stop for years and I try to keep cheap umbrellas in my car to give to those caught in the rain, waiting for the bus. But as I rolled past these two, I realized an umbrella wasn't going to do them much good. So, I pulled into the adjacent gas station and motioned for them to get in the car.

There are roughly 450,000 people in the State of Michigan who routinely rely on public transportation to get around. Many of the bus stops are in suburban or rural areas are nothing more than a "Bus Stop" sign alongside a busy road. On this night, these two were standing in the popular Michigan "mud slush" as they waited.

It took both of them a good 10 minutes to stop shivering when they got in the car. Seat warmers on and the heat set to "MAX," wasn't enough to fully warm these guys. As they shivered to their senses I couldn't help but smile; earlier in the day, I was complaining that my seat warmers took "too long" to heat up. What's that old quote, "what you're complaining about, other people are praying for?" Hashtag truth.

Joe was an old guy in his 70's. He had taken the bus from the North End of Flint down to Grand Blanc to watch his nephew's son play in the high school basketball game. Sal, was a young guy in his late 20's just trying to get from one job to the next. As we waited for the bus we got to talking. Both guys were simply "between" something. Joe's truck needed a part for the transmission. He couldn't afford it, so he was trying to sell it out of his driveway while he looks for another used truck. With the transmission shot, he was relegated to taking the bus everywhere. Sal was between jobs and looking for a permanent place to live. Sal's "choice of friends" (as he says) is the reason he no longer has a drivers' license and is stuck working lower paying jobs. It occurred to me as we talked, the only difference between us was that I seemed to have a little more luck - at the moment anyway - than they did.

That can change. That can change for any of us. That can change at any time.

The bus ultimately never showed up and I ended up driving the pair to the main bus station. Sal didn't have any gloves, so I gave him mine. Joe was hungry so I gave him the energy bar I had buried in my center console. By the time we got to the bus station, we were laughing hysterically. To this day, I can't recall what was so funny. I think we were poking fun of the way Sal says "awkward," pronouncing it like some kinda German mantra "Och-ward." Whatever it was, it was three guys with more in common than you might think. I've had plenty of car trouble over the years. Sal worked in Marketing right out of college. I've been stuck outside without a hat and gloves. Joe quit drinking 15 years ago. I quit six years ago. The only thing separating them from me; a little luck.

I wrestled with whether or not to post this story all week. The last thing I want is high-5s, fist bumps, or atta boy's. In fact, any comments like that will get deleted. What I'd like, is for you to be open to seeing the invisible people. They exist everywhere you go. They struggle with things we take for granted. They are ordinary people waiting in the rain or the cold dark night for the bus. And they need our help.

Do this for me today... Next time you're at the Dollar Store, Wal-Mart, Staples, etc., pick up a cheap umbrella, maybe two, maybe more (yes!). Pick up some inexpensive granola bars. In the winter, pick up some extra gloves and hats. Keep everything in your car and make it a point to really LOOK next time you drive by a bus stop. You'll see them. People like me and people like you. Invisible, no more.

And if you have these things in your car, you'll know what to do when you see them.

As both guys got out of the car and thanked me, I had to stop and thank them. I was in such a rush to get home to do this and that...well, I would've missed what is arguably one of the greatest blessings on earth. The chance to pay it forward.