Anything Can Help

Last Updated on October 29, 2025

An image of a man I saw the other day is stuck in my mind.
He was leaning against a traffic light pole, holding a sign that said:

“Anything can help.
Means the world to us with no place in it.”

This man was almost falling asleep holding the sign. I could see his head drooping, his hand and arm almost dropping it, and then he’d jerk back up—only to immediately start to droop again.

It gave me the feeling of being so close to the edge.
So close to losing everything, but still holding on.

What struck me most was what his sign said—having no place in the world.

He was so tired or out of it that he didn’t even see when someone was holding out money for him. The person called out to him and his head jerked up. His posture in his gratitude felt like shame to me.

I didn’t look away. I looked into his eyes and smiled.
It didn’t feel totally right to smile—but that’s what happened.

I want him to have a place in the world.
To have the support he needs.
To not carry that posture of shame.

And I understand how little I can do about that. My desire will likely change nothing.
But I think of all the people who openly don’t want others—not like them—to even exist, to even have an equitable place in the world.
Why is it like that?

I have an experience I’ve never shared or talked about.
I often get guidance to give money to people on the street, and I almost always listen when that happens. It’s not a matter of deserve or not deserve.

It’s for reasons I know nothing about.

I just participate in something larger than myself and don’t try to figure anything out.