Walking West on Jefferson in the Late Afternoon...

... sucks.

Generally, I think of all the homeless service centers as being close together. But then, I'm usually speeding in my car.

Walking is such a different matter. The homeless youth are pretty savvy about public transportation, but today is Saturday, and that means less options. The overall upshot is a lot of walking. Now, I am a healthy guy. I walk to work every day. I hike. I run from time to time. But damn. All this walking generally sucks.

But the worst of it is walking west on Jefferson in the late afternoon. A few reasons:

1.) We are walking straight into the sun.

We have been outside most of the day, and whatever minor sunburns we may have had are beginning to mature. I also feel dried out. Baked.

2.) Zero shade.

There is a tall building for half a block, but after that, the empty dirt lots and chain link fences to the left provide scant shelter from the sun. A few of us put in the effort to walk zigzag paths to get what little shade can be had from the occasional palm tree. The rest of us are too tired to chase shade.

3.) Carrying stuff.

The backpack is getting heavy by this point in the day. Gabe has discussed the danger of "having" when one is homeless. Having things means carrying, protecting, and worrying about things. At the moment, I wish I had nothing to carry, but that would also mean having nothing to sleep under.

Unfortunately, I must continues down Jefferson. There isn't a better street to walk down, and it can't be at a different time. So we walk.