Safety in numbers.....

Last night, while the other men in my I-group and I were getting together, we were approached by three men. They were older men; the looked like they were in their 50s. They first tried to go into the church where we meet. Then they approached us. They were homeless men looking for food or a handout. I had a short conversation with one of the men, who introduced himself as Jack. I gave him a dollar, for which he was extremely grateful. Then they left.

Due to the heat, we moved the meeting to the apartment of one of the men who happens to live within walking distance of the church. I mentioned that I thought about inviting these men into our circle that evening. After all, we're about inclusivity and "healing the world, one man at a time", and what better example of that than to invite these men to an I-group? But homeless people are homeless for a reason (typically mental illness and/or drug addiction), and it probably wouldn't have been a safe container for any of us if the homeless men were in our circle last night.

But I did my night's work by reaching out to those men.

I tend to avoid going out alone into any city out of fear of being accosted or confronted. Last night, I was able to face that fear, only because I was part of a group of initiated men, and that I wasn't alone.

I still don't like giving panhandlers money, because they often use the money for things other than what they state. Several years ago, in Columbus, a man asked me for some money for gas. I gave him a dollar. Several minutes later, I saw him duck into a bar.

I have a feeling that they may be coming back for more next week. Perhaps I should pack a sandwich or two.