I met Richard in Saskatoon, Canada. He was born in Toronto but moved to California when he was five. Richard moved back to Canada eight years ago after they detected an aortic aneurysm and his insurance in the U.S. jumped from $140 a month to $3,400 a month. A month ago he had a stroke and ended back in the hospital. Social Services gave Richard a bus ticket but he had nowhere to go but a homeless shelter.
Richard sleeps on the floor of a homeless shelter waiting for more transitional housing to open. His smile blew me away when he said he was glad to be alive. Even though all he has is a mat for a bed Richard says it’s still a thousand times better than being on the streets.
Kind of puts it all in perspective. What happened to you today that made you cranky?
For those of you that have been following me for a bit I am sure you’ve heard me say one of the best things we can do is give someone our positive attention. Watch the end of this video and listen to Richard say how just someone asking him for his story made him feel better.
Asking people “what’s your story”, and then genuinely listening, is one very simple way to make another person feel special.
Special thanks to Lighthouse Supported Living
