100Khomes.org

Can you imagine?

It’s an Oklahoma January. Holidays are over, and people’s holiday spirits seem to harden once again. No more ringing bells at the department stores. Everyone’s lives start drifting back to normal and that means no more focus on those that are less fortunate.

It’s a frigid evening. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing for the next 3 days. The weather man warns of impending weather. Opal, a tall, leathered skinned woman in her 60s, doesn’t hear these warnings, because she doesn’t have a TV. Opal lives on the street in downtown Oklahoma City. She has a spot in the woods just south of the highway. Opal doesn’t stay in the camps. Opal stays to herself. A survival skill she perfected long ago.

As it gets colder and colder Opal knows she needs to start seeking shelter inside. Even though the dense trees in the woods, where she normally stays blocks the bone-chilling wind, they are not enough shelter on a night like tonight. Opal can tell you it’s about 22 degrees outside, because she’s been on the Oklahoma City streets for 5 years now. She could probably predict the weather better than our local new casters and tell you what time of day it is based on the migration of the other homeless in the area. You see her time revolves around meals at the local shelters. Opal can also tell you it’s after Christmas because the supplies like blankets and knit hats, which were abundant during December, are now scarce.  Opal lost her hat during an altercation at a shelter earlier in the week. She liked that hat too, it was pale blue; it almost matched her eyes.

Shelter is top priority tonight. “If you keep moving and don’t stop the cold doesn’t seem so bad.” Opal couldn’t go to the regular shelter, because they have rules. She was in a fight. She can’t go back for a while. Opal has some back up plans because she’s no rookie at Oklahoma weather. There are a couple of abandoned properties that she could go to for the night. She’s done it many times when the elements were just too rough. She had a regular place off Blackweilder, but somebody burned it down last spring. It was nice too… it had a well pump in the back that pumped fresh water. Tonight she was headed to Hudson street. A local salvage yard was there, that she was sure she could find a car to get in.

Can you Imagine? Now, what have you done to make the world a better place today? If you can’t give money, give time. Find a cause and volunteer.