Just Like a Homeless Guy
I set out this morning to put fuel in our van. I buy gas at The Pump in Excelsior, a small town west of Minneapolis. Our friends at The Pump donate a tank of gas each month to help our outreach to the homeless. They also host a ‘spare change jar’ for our ministry near their register. We couldn’t continue without loyal supporters like our friends at The Pump.
While I was in Excelsior, I took pictures of some cabin-homes where my sister used to live. A collection of these quaint homes are on Lake Minnetonka near the site of the old Excelsior Play Land amusement park. The park closed down in the late 1960’s.
The Rolling Stones performed at Excelsior Play Land in ‘65 or ‘66. Story goes, while Mick Jagger was visiting the local Drug Store (to get a prescription filled), he ran into Jimmy who looked pretty ill. The ‘Jimmy’ in the song, ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, is a true-life resident of Excelsior, Minnesota.
When I met Jimmy years ago, he was still spending most of every day walking the streets of Excelsior. He was overweight and he moved in a lazy way, like he had nothing else to do. He wasn’t particularly handsome, in an ugly sort of way; he was always a bit disheveled. When he walked, he carried his head low with his eyes to the ground. When he talked, he looked down to the world at his feet. When he sat on a corner bench, he'd chew the stub of a fat cigar and his eyes always looked down. Jimmy carried his whole self in a perpetual slouch and was often mistaken for a homeless guy.
Many Water Street business folks didn’t like Jimmy because he looked poor. He was always being accused of panhandling because people offered him money thinking he needed money. With progress in mind, folks blamed Jimmy for scaring away tourists. He could have been a real-life tourist attraction, right out of a Rolling Stones’ song, if folks in Town thought he could have made them a buck. But Jimmy looked too much like a homeless guy.
I don’t know if Jimmy is alive today. I haven’t seen him on the streets of Excelsior for awhile. I’ve heard that he’s stuck in a hospice care facility in Town. If he is alive and living in an old folk’s home, he’s effectively homeless. If he has family and friends to care for him, he’s one of the lucky ones, but I doubt it. I picture Jimmy living out his golden years in style, but I imagine he still looks pretty ill; just like a homeless guy.
If Jimmy is alive, he could use your prayers for peace and health. And if you think a letter of encouragement would help him, send your best wishes, along with a buck, to:
Jimmy the homeless guy
C/O General Delivery
Excelsior, MN 55331.
I think Jimmy deserves as much. After all, he walked the streets of obscurity most of his life, just like a homeless guy. In the least, he deserves a cup of tea ... eh, Mick?
While I was in Excelsior, I took pictures of some cabin-homes where my sister used to live. A collection of these quaint homes are on Lake Minnetonka near the site of the old Excelsior Play Land amusement park. The park closed down in the late 1960’s.
The Rolling Stones performed at Excelsior Play Land in ‘65 or ‘66. Story goes, while Mick Jagger was visiting the local Drug Store (to get a prescription filled), he ran into Jimmy who looked pretty ill. The ‘Jimmy’ in the song, ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, is a true-life resident of Excelsior, Minnesota.
When I met Jimmy years ago, he was still spending most of every day walking the streets of Excelsior. He was overweight and he moved in a lazy way, like he had nothing else to do. He wasn’t particularly handsome, in an ugly sort of way; he was always a bit disheveled. When he walked, he carried his head low with his eyes to the ground. When he talked, he looked down to the world at his feet. When he sat on a corner bench, he'd chew the stub of a fat cigar and his eyes always looked down. Jimmy carried his whole self in a perpetual slouch and was often mistaken for a homeless guy.
Many Water Street business folks didn’t like Jimmy because he looked poor. He was always being accused of panhandling because people offered him money thinking he needed money. With progress in mind, folks blamed Jimmy for scaring away tourists. He could have been a real-life tourist attraction, right out of a Rolling Stones’ song, if folks in Town thought he could have made them a buck. But Jimmy looked too much like a homeless guy.
I don’t know if Jimmy is alive today. I haven’t seen him on the streets of Excelsior for awhile. I’ve heard that he’s stuck in a hospice care facility in Town. If he is alive and living in an old folk’s home, he’s effectively homeless. If he has family and friends to care for him, he’s one of the lucky ones, but I doubt it. I picture Jimmy living out his golden years in style, but I imagine he still looks pretty ill; just like a homeless guy.
If Jimmy is alive, he could use your prayers for peace and health. And if you think a letter of encouragement would help him, send your best wishes, along with a buck, to:
Jimmy the homeless guy
C/O General Delivery
Excelsior, MN 55331.
I think Jimmy deserves as much. After all, he walked the streets of obscurity most of his life, just like a homeless guy. In the least, he deserves a cup of tea ... eh, Mick?
posted by Kelly at 9:00 PM
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