It’s almost summer and I can’t think of a better way to spend my lunch hour than to take a leisurely stroll through Woodruff Park in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Downtown is vibrant, alive and chock full of colorful characters. Here’s a snapshot of a typical stroll.
Some folks volunteer their services.
Haircuts for the asking!
Street preaching to anyone who’ll listen.
They don't pass the offering plate at this church!
New friends to be had. Just sit on the wall. This new friend could spin a yarn!
This is Ephrom. He was a welder until he started going blind.
There’s a guitar slinging preacher. He’s been declared dead, went to hell–met Satan, then heaven–met God, was sent back to earth as a guardian angel of the streets and would love to tell you about it. He has the scar to prove it.
Guitars, God and Good Old Fashioned Conversation Available Here!
And of course, no park would be complete without a token Krishna.
Hari, hari, krishna, krishna...peaceful, happy and always ready to share a meal.
By the way, one of my favorite posts on this site was about hanging with the Krishna’s. You can see it here. Please visit–you’ll be glad you did.
All in all, a really enjoyable bunch of folks. Unfortunately, I was reminded that not everything in downtown was roses. I saw this under a nice shade tree.
An addict was here.
All right. So it’s not all roses and pearls. I’ll say this though, it’s going on a solid year since I’ve really started enjoying what urban downtown has to offer. It’s the people that I enjoy the most. It’s the conversations that I remember. It’s the friendships and familiarity of so many faces that makes me feel like such a part of something really cool. It’s right there for anyone that wants to enjoy it. All you have to do it go outside, sit down somewhere and be ready to say “hi.”
Cheers,
Jim
