Through a street retreat, I had the privilege of meeting a few of the many men and women living on the streets of Austin. One of the encounters that really stood out to me was with a woman named Suzanne. She was a short, older lady with a tragic story to tell. Her clothes looked worn and dirty. She seemed pretty confused and spoke very quietly with slow pronunciations of her words. It was apparent that she had some mental health issues. While some members of our small group were inside one of the downtown convenience stores buying her a cup of coffee, the rest of us kept her company and started up a conversation with her.
We began asking her questions about her life and what she does on a daily basis. When we asked her what a normal day looked like for her she responded, “I am a movie star; I go around and act in different movies”. Suzanne had a hard time staying on track with the topic of discussion. We asked her about what she does as a “movie star” in Austin, and she then said that she is no longer a movie star and that she left that behind. To get to know her better, we asked her about her family. She said that her family was in an accident with an 18-wheeler and that she was the only one in her family left. She told us how lonely she was and how she didn’t have anyone for support. We then asked her how she usually spends her time and she said, “I mostly just try to sleep. I sleep as much as I can to pass the time”. When our group members came back out with her cup of coffee, she thanked us all and continued on her way.
It was obvious to me that Suzanne had a kind heart with good intentions. It was evident to me that she was struggling when she was talking about her career as an actress and how confused she was getting with her own story. Her mental state was severely affecting her perception of reality. What really stood out to me about Suzanne was how lonely she was. She had no one who was there for her to support her. This made me think about how challenging it would be to not only be homeless, but to have no one for comfort, support, or even just companionship. She was just living on her own.
Reflections on Suzanne →