PORTLAND, OREGON – Language Spoken: English – Location: Northwest, USA
When I think back to my visit in Portland, I’m still confused. I don’t know what was so confusing about it. I don’t know if it was because I just wasn’t from there or what, but I never felt like such an outsider in a city before. The city was cool, but weird. The vibe was chill, but weird. I like weird. I thought it was weird that I thought it was weird. Why did it make me feel so weird? I still don’t know hence why I’m still so confused.
I visited my cousin because she was living there at the time. She had a cute little house with her baby boo kitten and was loving her life there. She took me to some awesome places to eat and drink – she knows the keys to my heart. Sun, food (lots of cheese), and Prosecco … maybe a Moscow Mule here and there too.
As I waited for my cousin to take her lunch break one of the days, I wondered around downtown Portland in search for some answers, but ended up with more questions. I thought Starbucks was a safe place to collect my thoughts. Boy, was I wrong. I couldn’t understand why there were so many homeless people, actually they aren’t even just people… they are teens and some with pets. Confused. I have a heart for people, serving people, loving people, meeting people, watching people, just people. People intrigue me because we are all so darn different. Like, isn’t that crazy that we’re all soooo different? Like human snowflakes. So anyway, as I was standing on the line at Starbucks, I felt my heart not in the nicest spirits because I was judging and looking at these teens like… why? Why aren’t you in school? What happened to you? Then immediately I felt overwhelming grief… why so mean, Lucy? This child may be hurt, desperate, and hungry. I looked down at my Starbucks app and it read $6.66 … that demonic number confirmed that I needed to buy that kid outside with his “Coffee Please” sign something to drink and stop being so NOT Lucy. So, I did just that… I wasn’t going to let Satan in my head, instead I would buy this kid a darn coffee because that’s all he really wanted. The smile on his face when I asked if he needed cream or sugar stained my brain. Not because Lucy did a good deed, it was because I too get a little selfish and assuming when I’m too busy looking at the surface of things. I need that little reminder that I AM NO ONE TO JUDGE, WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS KID HAS GONE THROUGH. My job here on this globe is to love everyone and to serve no matter what the situation may be.
F Y I
Place Stayed: With family in a suburb of Portland
Places Visited: Downtown Portland
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