Being better-off

While on my (what is becoming the usual) Saturday morning stroll to pick-up my car after a night of excess, I was reminded of something.

Something that bothers me. Something that deserves more attention.

See, my route takes me past a local church and food bank.

And sure enough, I’ve noticed it while driving by in my car.

But actually walking past the folks in-line, making eye-contact and speaking with them really brought the issue home to me.

These are people just like me.

And the most shocking/disheartening realization was that the vast majority of people standing in-line, in near-freezing temperatures were elderly.

Social Security has gotten a bad wrap in politics, especially with young folks like myself. I don’t expect it to be around when I am ready to retire (which is now) or when I turn 70.

But as I saw small women, hunched-over on canes waiting their turn to receive a box of veggies that are a day away from being inedible and a loaf of 3-day-old bread, I realized Social Security is not only needed…it is obviously inadequate.

The elderly deserve better than their lot in American Society.

This epiphany led me to think of my own father.

Not because he is either broke or elderly, but because he devoted the entirety of my lifetime (and then some) to actually doing something about it.

I’ve never thought of my Dad as a particularly charitable guy. He’s a rather Joe Friday kinda fella, “Just the facts, ma’am.” So I am not sure that his intentions were so philanthropic when he signed-on to be a delivery driver for Senior Services of King County’s new Meals-on-Wheels program back in the ‘70s.

But whatever his motivation, the program grew under his management and hundreds if not thousands of King County’s Elderly are better-off as a result.

I long for an opportunity to better the world I live in the way Pops did. But I also would like to keep food on my own table. It’s an interesting balance, but Pops is proof, you can make it happen.

So until that world-changing, decent-paying job comes about for me all I can do is raise awareness and maybe inspire a difference-maker.

I’ll tell ya one thing, I think I am gonna volunteer at the Food Bank in the meantime.

I mean, I’m there already…it’s on the way to my car.