Homeless for Thanksgiving – Hector Rivas
Hector takes his blessings for granted, until an all-too-real dream of being homeless, cold and hungry makes him appreciate what he has.
Homeless for Thanksgiving
I went to bed after arguing with my mom about why the food was not ready. I woke up, lying on the ground somewhere in downtown Baltimore, with a blanket covering me in the freezing cold, my stomach empty and growling.
I was so confused about what had happened. I was just in my room a second ago, comfortable, and warm.
The cold became so unbearable, and my hunger got so bad that I could not sleep at all the whole night. As the sun came up the next morning, I had no money so I had to start asking for anything so that I could get food. I asked many people; some were kind and others were rude and told me to get a job. At the end of the day, I had enough money to get myself a McChicken from McDonald’s and that was the best tasting meal ever. But I regretted arguing with my mom over how
the food was not ready, and I missed all of the things that I had. I took so many things for granted—my bed, my room, a warm shower, having somewhere to stay and call home.
As night came, I tried to find somewhere to sleep. I found a place and laid down. I tried to go to sleep wishing that I could return to how things used to be.
When I woke back up, I was in my bed and my warm house. I felt so happy to be back home. I took a warm shower and went downstairs and got
something to eat, relieved that I was back in my house and not outside in the cold.
After that night I never took anything for granted ever again. I started to think about how hard other people have it and that their situation is way worse than mine. Now, anytime I see a person on the street asking for money, I try to give them a dollar or something that can help them out.
I learned my lesson to not take anything in my life for granted and appreciate what I have.
Hector Rivas
November 18, 2022