He sits there – outside of McDonald’s – with his hand out.

        For at least two years he’s been there – cross-legged on the sidewalk when I first saw him, but now he has acquired a chair and lugs it back and forth with him so that he’ll be more comfortable.

        Lord knows why he does it. I’ve never seen anyone give him any money.

        His outstretched hand is always empty.

        He sits on my direct line to the university, and the first day or two he was there, it was relatively easy to walk past. One sees such people often while living in a big city.

        But then he started being there every day.

He didn’t go away.

        Every weekday morning I saw him as I walked west and then again when returning east-bound.

        That’s ten times a week.

        Spring, summer, fall, and winter

        And inevitably, he’s on my mind each time.

        He must see many of the same people pass every day. I think of that when I pass. He could be thinking, “Oh no, here comes that one again!”

        But maybe he doesn’t have those feelings; I’ve never seen him being friendly with anyone…or unfriendly, as a matter of fact.

        I know almost nothing about him except that he’s probably between fifty and sixty years old and reasonably well-dressed. A little on the plump side, he must be getting enough to eat or he’d lose weight. No disabilities are obvious.

        He could be single…separated…divorced.

        He’s certainly not married; a woman would take care of him

        I would guess that he doesn’t have a family of any kind

        Or, at least, not in contact with them.

        He never tries to catch my eye and I’ve never heard him say anything to anyone who passes.

        Nor have I seen anyone talk with him.

        Where does he live?

        I’m very conscious of the fact that I’ve never tried to interact with him.

        That’s because I’ve always had the feeling that there are community resources for such people – places to sleep – cheap meals – even clothing.

        And that’s always followed up with the nagging thought that if you give a person like that a handout, they’ll keep their hands out for more and not bother figuring out how they could improve their lives.

        I’m well aware of the fact that I could find out what’s available and then advise him, but I am hesitant to get involved. Who knows what his problems are. High on the list would be mental illness, as what he’s doing just doesn’t make sense to me.

        He must feel differently.

        I suppose he does.

        If he didn’t, he’d do something different.

        Do you suppose that McDonald’s gives him handouts?

        I wonder if he’d take a job if one were offered.

        I’ve just looked at the phone book to see what I could find. There was nothing like Chicago’s Hope Rescue Mission. I know there’s a service called Loaves and Fishes that provides food for the elderly, but he’d probably be too young. Nothing else popped into view.

        I could call a couple of friends to see if they’d know how to help him.

        Should I do some research on this?

        Should I get involved?

         Months have passed, and he's still there - not every day now, as we're into the rainy season, and it's getting cold.

        I wonder if he'll be there all winter.