Tonight was one of those nights where I really have to work hard to keep my judgements and personal ideas and feelings in check.

A few months back, one of our long-term or "extended stay" shelter guests joked that he saw so and so with "his girls" over by the Branch (a drop-in center for homeless and others). I was convinced that he was exaggerating and was like "Nuh-huh! Are you serious, not "so and so"!! Then I stopped myself and told that person, "Nevermind! I don't want to know, the less I know the better..."

Fast forward to tonight. So and so was around for the first time since winter essentially, tried to get a bed but no luck as of the time I left but was going to try back at the end of the night if no one showed...

I left work, driving my usual route home - East on Franklin Ave. to Bloomington Ave. and I see "so and so" walking with a woman that would most likely not be his lady friend (I could be wrong, and I hope I am).

Hrmph. Maybe R was right after all. But I need to remind myself that what each person does outside of the shelter is their own deal, their own business, their own life. And maybe I can apply the "Rule of Six" and come up with 6 possible reasons someone would be involved in such a "business". With him, one reason is to most likely support his young daughter who his living in Southern Minnesota and another is to support himself as I suspect he is undocumented and one related, maybe he is sending money back to his native country, to family?

Who knows. I'm not going to ask. Not my place to get involved unless he brings it to the shelter...