A moment in the parking lot

The bearded man stopped me in the shelter’s parking lot. His face seemed weighed down by troubles, or so it seemed, maybe those he could no longer carry alone. As he approached, he began to unload his story, each word falling heavy. He hoped I held the answer he sought—a bus ticket to another town.

I listened. He longed for a fresh start in a new place, with the idea that the move would fix everything.

But as he offered his list to me, something inside me told me to challenge him with a few questions. I knew deep down that leaving town wouldn’t change most of his reality. The issues he carried weren’t tied to his location but to his heart.