Home is Where the Heart is

This is the first post of my Random Acts of Kindness meme. Click Here is you want to find out what it's all about. There is a linky at the bottom of this post if you want to write your own Random Acts of Kindness post and link up. I will post my Kindness post on a Thursday but the link will be open for the whole week. 


Here is my Random Act of Kindness for the week . . . 

Every Thursday I go to Edinburgh to visit the Post Natal Depression Service that I use. I am currently on the waiting list for counselling at the moment but I take JC to the creche so that he gets used to spending time there. I also get some time to myself to go for a walk. I like to walk up Princes Street and I usually visit Waterstones or Starbucks for some book and coffee therapy.

When I was walking back to pick JC up I passed a homeless man sitting outside one of the shops. I looked over at him as I walked by and he gave me the loveliest smile. Sometimes the city can be a coldhearted place and not a lot of people smile at me when I go for my walk. I walked straight into Starbucks and bought a takeaway coffee and a muffin (lemon drizzle, my favourite). As I left the shop I thought of the homeless man and that lovely smile and without thinking I turned back and gave him the coffee and the muffin. He mumbled a 'cheers hen' as he tucked into his muffin and I just said 'nae bother' and off I went to pick up JC. Karma must work because all the lights were green on the way home and anyone who drives in Edinburgh will know that that rarely ever happens!

Some people have very little sympathy for the homeless. They are often seen as drug addicts, alcoholics or just plain lazy. Some think that they don't deserve help because they got themselves into this situation so they can dig their own way out. I think differently. A lot of homeless people are drug addicts and alcoholics, some of them are lazy and some of them are really nasty people but so are a lot of people who aren't homeless. I think if I was living on the streets of Edinburgh I would look for something to block out my dire existence too. I don't think anyone would actively choose to be homeless, they become a product of the circumstances in their lives.

I originally come from a small mining village (Lochgelly) in the east of Scotland where unemployment is high and prospects for young people are low. I like to think I have made something of my life and that I am a credit to my small village roots but it could've been totally different. I was lucky that I had a loving and stable homelife, a supportive school environment and a sensible peer group. I think there is a part of it that is internal too as I have always been a keen learner and naturally ambitious. I went through a bit of a bad patch in my youth but all the positives I have mentioned pulled me through it and kept me on the straight and narrow. Maybe this man didn't have a good homelife or upbringing, maybe he had bad teachers, maybe he has a mental health problem, maybe he made mistakes but he's still human and he still deserves respect, empathy and most of all kindness.

If you want to link up that would be lovely, or you could just leave a comment . . .
This is new to me so let me know if you have any problems linking up!