When talking to...

most of the homeless patients, we would cover many topics from the weather and sports to politics and their personal lives. Furthermore, I felt that, as Houstonians, we could easily relate to each other through the events that have happened in Houston over the years. For example, this one man and I were sharing stories about hurricane Ike, illustrating to each other the extent of the damage that was done during that time. I told him that my grandparents’ house was completely flooded and that the clean up process was very tedious and extensive. However, he proceeded to tell me his experience during the hurricane from the perspective of a homeless person. I was astonished to hear that he lived through hurricane level winds with nothing but a tent and a sleeping bag, making me feel embarrassed and shameful that I had been complaining about the cleanup process while he had been struggling to survive. He thanked God the night of the hurricane while I took everything for granted. I was able to learn an important lesson about thankfulness during a fifteen minute talk with the patient, and I believe it was well worth it.

-Duc Lam