Popeye Club

He was sitting on the steps next to the Municipal Auditorium shortly after sunset waiting on a bus to Madison. As he spoke he told me he once had cancer in his arm. Part of his elbow was removed due to the cancer. He then took a smoke and looked into the distance as if he could see himself as a child. That is when his best memorable moment as a child unfolded, smoke after smoke. 

“My best memory ever was when I was on TV, I was 8 and Nashville had the Popeye Club,” he said. I later learned the Popeye Club met in the old Paramount Theater. A man named Bob Luck played an organ in the theater and the organ raised from the ground to stage level. “I remember Bob Lobertini was called Captain Bob,” he said with a smile. Lobertini worked at WLAC – TV in Nashville at the time. He then stated, “Lobertini was the weather guy on the TV station.” 

Channel 5 in Nashville first came on the air in 1954 as WLAC – TV. The station was owned by the Life and Casualty Insurance Company which is where the L&C tower is today in Nashville. In 1975 the television station was sold and it went on to become WTVF, News Channel 5. 

“The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten.”
-Cesare Pavese

Wicked Clowns

He was homeless, but now living in a small home with about four other people. He told me, “I’m part of the Wicked Clowns… We are like a bunch of hippies, but we are violent. We are not afraid to use weapons.”

As we talked more he told me, “I did the tattoo myself [referring to his face].” He told me he used a mirror to do the ink on his face that is "War Paint." He then pulled up his shirt and showed me a tattoo of a clown holding a bloody butcher knife. Under the clown were the words, “NEVER DIE ALONE.” “I did all my tattoos myself except for the one on my back,” he said. Across his stomach was the word “PSYCHO.” 

Hippie Hill in Tennessee

I shot this at Hippie Hill in 2013. Still one of my favorite photos. Reminds me of something in 1970's. Love it.

"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." 
- Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead

Food for thought

Food for thought: Some would drive by and simply throw food or a bottle of water at his feet, sometimes hitting his leg. He was sound asleep when I saw him. I wondered how he felt that no one had the courage to stop and hand him food like a human being?

Perhaps his misspelled sign gives a glimpse into his life? The word "Work" was spelled "Werk" and the word "Dollars" was spelled "Dollors." I could only imagine that he never received the help he needed as a child in school and likely grew up with an undiagnosed learning disability and possibly a mental illness. 

I did not wake him in fear this was the only sleep he received all day, with his head on the curb of a parking lot near a busy intersection. 

George Orwell once wrote in Down and Out in Paris and London, “It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.” I think this photo rings true to that statement based on the fact that no one gave this man any respect. 

Starving for food

After he finished begging for money while sitting next to a McDonald’s exit it started to rain. So, he walked across the street and sat under a gas pump awning at a small convenient store. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, he was almost curled up in a ball. People dressed in their Sunday best walked past him without ever glancing down, even stepping around him as if he were a piece of trash they wanted to avoid to keep their neatly polished shoes clean.

I approached him and asked, “Are you hungry, would you like a doughnut from Dunkin Donuts [in the gas station] or would you like real food?” He carefully looked up almost startled, “Real food please.” I went inside and ordered a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant. I then grabbed a large bottle of water, a bag of chips and a Little Debbie snack for desert. I placed it by his side and he thanked me while putting the bag of chips inside the brown paper bag that the sandwich came in. He then scurried across the street to find a quiet and out of the way spot to eat.

I hate to compare a man to an animal, but have you ever noticed what happens when you give a dog a piece of meat or a bone? The dog quickly carries the item to a distant location to begin its feast. The animal moves away from the pack in order to protect and hide its food. That is exactly what occurred in this situation. It was sad to watch him quickly move away as if he was afraid someone would take his meal.  

Before I left I asked, “How old are you?” He told me, “54.”

“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” ― Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery

Fredrick Hill, U.S. Air Force

You may have seen this man sitting on the side of the road, his name is Fredrick Reed. He is from Murfreesboro, but currently lives in his small Ford Ranger in an industrial area of Nashville. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960’s. He was a Flight Engineer on a 124 Globemaster airplane.

In the 1950’s and 60’s the Globemaster was nicknamed “Old Shaky” due to its massive size that shook more often than not when loaded with tanks or bulldozers that could fit inside the plane without being disassembled first. The planes were retired in 1974.

As I was talking to Mr. Reed, a Metro Police car drove by with sirens blaring and lights flashing. He stopped in mid-sentence, “Do you mind if we pause, I say a prayer every time I see a first responder.” He then prayed for the officer’s safety. When he was finished he said, “I wish everyone would pray for first responders when they see them headed to a call.”

I asked Reed, “How long have you been sober,” while pointing at his sign? He told me that he has been sober for 7-months, I got to where I HATED alcohol and hated drinking." . “Do you have any kids,” I asked? “I sure do - two daughters,” he told me with a smile. However, Reed said he has not talked to them in about two years suggesting that he has not been the best dad. He told me he would like to mend the relationship, but thinks his daughters don’t really know him anymore. 

"To be helpful is our only aim." AA, 2001, p. 89

He had a broken hip

He was walking towards me when I stopped to ask, “Want a bottle of water?” He told me, “Naaah, I’m headed to the hospital.” I asked if I could give him a ride and he pointed towards Nashville General, “It’s right over there – the doctor said I should walk to stretch my hip out, I broke it.”

He later went on to explain that he broke it by getting his foot tangled in a wire that was on the ground, “It got all tangled up and I fell on my hip.”

I asked, “So how old are you if you don’t mind me asking?” He looked at me and said, “60.”

“The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” ― H.L. Mencken

"I'm a Dirty Kid"

“Hey man, you’re going to Nashville,” he asked as he helped to unload a few cases of water and Gatorade from my truck while under a bridge in Murfreesboro. “Can I hitch a ride,” while looking over at my homeless friend Kevin? “I looked to Kevin for his approving nod, “I guess,” I said, “But, we have several stops to make in Murfreesboro and Nashville to hand out water.”

After I was finished unloading at stop number one he hopped in the passenger side and with a handshake he said, “I’m David.” We then stopped to see Red, Beverly and Hal to drop off more water, Gatorade and chips. Then, we were Nashville bound. As we neared Interstate 24 he told me that he has been in Murfreesboro for about one week.

“I think meth is safer than heroin,” he told me while showing me scars from shooting up. “I don’t do either one anymore though,” he said while gazing at the road in front of us. Every once in a while he would belt out a song or a rap and then laugh. “I’ve been to 14 states so far, I wanna’ hit at least 48,” he told me. “

Are you 420 friendly,” he asked. I jokingly told him, “As long as it’s not in my truck.” We then talked about alcohol and we both agreed that alcohol contributes to more pain, heartache and death than marijuana ever has, in our opinion. I asked, “Have you ever smoked synthetic marijuana?” He told me, “I have.” He then recited some of the ingredients that are used to make it even acknowledging the chemical compounds that bind the chemical together. I then told him how dangerous the fake weed is on most people. He smiled, “I think Dennis Leary was right in stating that different drugs react differently on the user, I’ve never had adverse reactions.”  Although, I think he was talking about Timothy Leary who was known for advocating psychedelic drugs

I asked him why he was homeless and he dived into his years spent at over 30-foster care homes and programs. “They say I have PTSD and a long list of other issues, but I don’t buy into it.” He later said the PTSD was from the suicide of his step father. He did not fully elaborate on the other problems that may exist, but did talk about finding peace and a future soulmate. “I’ve met three soulmates, one died,” he said. I asked what happened and he told me that it was a heroin overdose and he was with her when it occurred.

When we got to Nashville he was excited to help hand out water and a variety of other drinks and chips. He loved it and called the homeless men and women he met “friend.” He told me that doing this made him feel good as he has done so much “bad” in his life. “I have made tons of bad decisions,” he told me.  I reassured him it was okay, we all make bad decisions all the time and we will continue to do so. I don’t know if he felt reassured by that or not?

David spoke intelligently about living on the street and how he was not concerned that he was in Nashville without a place to stay or even a change of clothes. “These jeans have been in so many creeks and rivers I lost count,” he said with a laugh. He asked if there were other "Dirty Kids" in Nashville. David said that "Dirty Kids" is a word for young travelers who train hop and move from place to place as he does. 

Before I dropped him off on Broadway in Nashville he told me his mother’s name… Amanda Leigh Rice Bishop Calvert. He does not know where she is today.

The road we travel is what makes us who we are today. 

"My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso." - Pablo Picasso

Mr. Henson, without his boys or his wife

The lives of so many who live on the street is so unbearably and unapologetically sad from the outside looking in.

Today, I met Mr. Henson. His hair was salt and pepper and his face reminded me of someone I once saw on reruns of the old western show Bonanza. He had lines that showed his age and also showed his days in the sun spent at the lake with his family. “My son drowned in the lake back home in Michigan, he was only 15,” he said in a whisper. I had to lean in close to grasp his words as he spoke to the tune of a light breeze. “I had two boys, the other died at birth,” he told me while looking across a busy gas station parking lot in Nashville. His words grew sadder as he continued, “My wife died of cancer in 2008, I loved her,” he said with a smile looking towards the sky.

I asked him what landed him in Nashville considering his family was originally from Michigan. Without words he held his left hand above his shoulder with his right hand at his waist while strumming a guitar that was not there. “I played all the time, so I thought I’d come here,” he said with a huge smile and a slight laugh. “My guitar was stolen, you can’t have anything on the streets of Nashville,” he said as he talked about his life as a homeless man without a wife or his sons by his side.

If his two boys were still alive today, they would now be 35. Mr. Henson was only 24 when his wife gave birth to the boys. This October, he will turn 59 without anyone around to say the words some of us dread to hear, “Happy Birthday.”

Before I left I asked, “If you had a guitar could you still play it?” He looked at me making eye contact, “I love music, I will always be able to play.”

"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart." - Pablo Casals

Giving vaccinations to animals in need

I had the privilege of showing Dr. Kathryn Mcpherson (Veterinarian) and Amanda Oliver (Director of the Beesley Animal Foundation) around so that they could visit with the homeless and vaccinate their beloved animals. Otherwise, these dogs and cats would possibly go undeserved as most homeless can not afford basic rabies shots.

In this photo, this young lady (right) became homeless on the night of her high school prom. She was 18 and her mother died of cancer. From that night on, she had no where to go but the streets. Her father died of cancer in 1994 and her mother passed away in 1997. 

Just Hal and his blind friend

This is Hal. He lives in a field that also has a small rock quarry in it that is seldom used. Hal lives under an old trailer that he lacks the keys to actually get into the trailer. His friend... a small dog named Bear. The dog is blind, but makes for a great companion to battle lonely nights. 

"Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." Mother Teresa 

She moved to the hills of Tennessee to better cope with Lupus symptoms

She somehow found her way to Hippie Hill through the dips and valleys of life. I asked, “What brought you to Tennessee?” She said that she was battling Lupus and her hands and feet often hurt while living up north. “My doctor drew a line on a map and said if you live anywhere here, you will have better results and feel better while battling Lupus,” she told me… “So we came here.”

With her camper in tow and with her son by her side side (he is in his twenties), she gathered her belongings and her beloved dogs and made it to Hippie Hill, where she can be herself and relax.

With Lupus joint pain is common. Warmer climates help to alleviate the pain. Fatigue, headaches, mouth ulcers, etc. are all things that those with Lupus are up against. To make some of those symptoms, relocating is worth a move. The cause of Lupus is still not known. Some doctors suggest you are genetically pre-disposed to getting it while some say that something in the environment triggers the problem. Lupus is not contagious and it is not a form of cancer.

“Every day holds the possibility of a miracle.” --  Author Unknown

The homeless traveler

Our conversation was brief, but she has been homeless on and off for years. She travels the South with no agenda or set destination in mind. I met her in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Robert Frost said it best: 

“The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” 

My dad was abusive

“I served in the Marines for four years, I was in Afghanistan,” he told me. So, why did you join? He paused and then stated, “I went to Overton High School in Nashville and my dad was abusive - - I had to get out of that. My mom was sick and she died recently and my dad was there. We got into a fight at the grave site as they were lowering my mom into the ground, it was horrible.”

While overseas he was in a Humvee that received oncoming fire and the end result was shrapnel hitting him in the right side of the head. “I can’t think things out like I use to, I feel like I am slower due to the injury,” he told me. He later added that he visits with a counselor at the VA in Nashville on a regular basis, “The counselor has been great, it has really helped.”

Today he has no family and is alone on the streets of Nashville at the age of 21.

“While we can't begin to repay the debt we owe our veterans for their brave service, we can certainly take steps to ease the physical, psychological and financial hardships they may be experiencing.” - Kirsten Gillibrand, a junior United States Senator from New York

Praying for ice cream money

"When I was little and went to the bathroom and my grandmas, I would always pick up her Readers Digest and pray there was money in it to buy some ice cream - but after praying and flipping through the pages, there never was even a dollar."

Tim made that statement after I told him that if there is any cash in my wallet he could have it. I opened it up, but it was empty. 

Bi-Polar Tarot Card Reader

“I help people, God has given me a gift with Tarot cards,” he said. “God taught you how to read Tarot cards,” I asked with much confusion? “Yes, I help people,” he said.

As we talked he said something about there being multiple Gods and how he has a gift for knowing about the past of others. While I did not further question him on "Gods," a friend of mine did and told him there was only one God above. The man looked confused, but the talk continued.

The man then told me that life has been hard for him on the street because he is a convicted felon and has not been able to get into an apartment or find continuous work. “I even applied for government housing and filled out paperwork for a housing voucher [pause] three years ago,” he said with a smile.

Everything on the outside is not the same on the inside. He battles extreme bi-polar disorder and takes an antidepressant along with Lithium to help cope with the issues he struggles with daily. Despite the medication, he still has manic episodes and said that sometimes he feels as if he were on top of the world, the next day in the bottom of a ravine that he can’t climb out of.

“Whatever you do, don’t stop taking the medication, life will get better,” I told him. He told me that he will continue the prescriptions because he knows what it is like to be without it. He said, “I know those who stop after it starts working think they are better, but they are not.” He also told me about the dangers of drinking while on the medication. I don’t know who his doctor is, but they educated him well. I was pleased to hear about his knowledge about the medications he takes.

Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Kay Redfield Jamison wrote, “I have had manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder, since I was 18 years old. It is an illness that ensures that those who have it will experience a frightening, chaotic and emotional ride. It is not a gentle or easy disease."

Crack Cocaine

His story was well rehearsed, but I wanted to go deeper. “I was in the Army and…” I stopped him at and. I told him, “You told me that about two months ago, but then you were clean shaven and sober.” He took a step back, “I remember, you walked with me.” 

I said to him, “What’s going on, you are a smart guy and I know you want more?” I recalled the last time I met him he spoke clearly and held his head high, I thought to myself that this change was drastic. 

As we spoke he shared with me that he uses crack cocaine. He walked in a circle from time to time as we talked. I said, “Do you want help?” He looked down and told me how easy it was to quit. I simply told him that it was not easy to quit, but help is available. 

We talked for a solid 20-minutes about his mental health and the negative physical results of his drug use. I don’t usually take this route when talking to folks, but I could see a massive downturn from the last time I met him. We talked about his transformation over such a short period of time. He then told me that he has different people or things in him. He said that God wants him on this journey and that he chose himself to live on the streets. 

In mid-sentence I think he caught on to what I was saying about change and help. He froze, looked away and then his eyes slightly glazed as if a tear was about to drop. He walked away in silence and disappeared into the crowd of tourist on lower Broadway in downtown Nashville, never turning back. Perhaps one word we spoke about will later serve as a catalyst to seek help?

American writer Napoleon Hill wrote about success and words that bring success to others being extremely important to everyone, not just a select few. One thing that he stated stands out, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” 

Plant seeds. 

Time for a haircut and the start to a new job

Taco said to me, “Do you think you could help me with a haircut? I have my new job orientation on Friday.” I said, “Of course Taco, I’ll take you to Ms. Paulette at Boro Barber Academy.” He smiled and said, “Thanks Mr. Scott, I wanna look good for my first day!”

I went by and spoke to Ms. Paulette and told her Taco would be meeting me here. She talked about how she looked forward to helping him. When he arrived his hair was long and his beard was shaggy. He told me, “I love Ms. Paulette. When I got there she looked at me and said, you must be Taco… We’ve been waiting for you – have a seat.” He said they treated him like a movie star at Boro Barber Academy. As he told me about his haircut he was grinning from ear to ear.

Taco is from Murfreesboro. He is in his late forties and his parents died in an automobile accident several years ago. He misses them greatly. He later told me how he grew up listening to WGNS every single morning. “I remember riding to school listening to Swap and Shop, I still love it,” he said.

There is something about helping those who are battling homelessness, mental illness or addiction in your own back yard. You are able to instantly relate to their surroundings in a way that is foreign elsewhere.

UPDATE: May 2018

May 17, 2018: I talked to Taco today…

I have received a lot of messages asking how YOU can help Taco, the man I did the short video on who has only 6 months to live due to cancer. You may recall, Taco (Tim Ortega) was headed to Kentucky to spend his remaining time with a girlfriend.

To answer your questions, Taco needs nothing. He has it all.

Amazing things have happened and he missed that Greyhound to Kentucky. But, his sister in Florida saw the video and later sought him. She visited Murfreesboro in the past looking for him about three years ago, but could never locate her little brother.

Long story short, Taco ended up in Florida with her and her husband (both doing great and retired from the Air Force). He was overjoyed.

Taco's sister had a surprise for him the next day of his visit. She took him to the beach that morning where other family members were waiting to be reunited!

The story gets better. Taco was then reunited with his other sister whom he has not seen in about 20 years. She lives in - - I believe Oklahoma. Regardless of the state he is there and he is happy.

Taco told me, “Scott, I have my own bedroom and all the food I could ever need.” I laughed and told him how exciting that was. He then stated, “But Scott, it gets better. She woke me up the other night at 9:30 and asked me to watch TV with her. She then asked if I wanted McDonalds. She picked up the phone and I told her, ‘You can’t order McDonalds, they don’t deliver!’” I could tell Taco started to cry as he explained, “Next thing I know her husband comes in with McDonalds and there was this old man behind him – I thought, who is that?”

The pause was long and I knew the story was going to get even better. “Scott, it was my dad! He’s sitting here with me right now!”

Looking back, Taco thought he was alone in the world. A couple of years after his mother died he secluded himself. Eventually, he became homeless and alcohol took him away for a very long time. He thought his father had died 20-years ago. But, he didn’t. Taco’s father was alive and well.

Taco told me, “Brother, I think I am going to retire here if you know what I mean.”

A man who thought he was all alone is now surrounded by family as he slowly, but happily passes away. His next few months will likely be the very best. Ever.

---

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” - Saint Augustine

He served in Vietnam, during the close of the situation that never fully closed

“I’m from California, I’m a jar head, a Marine” He told me with enthusiasm. “I was sent to Vietnam to help with the clean up as our troops were taken out in about 1975,” he said, “They are always trying to kill us, it was never really over.” He told me that he served in the Marine Corps for 48-months with his service starting at age 17, mostly in Saigon.

I asked him what he was doing in Louisville, Kentucky and he said, “Family brought me here, my parents had heart attacks over the past six years and both eventually died. Then my brother died of cancer, but I stayed.” He then talked about how he was on the list to get approved for housing, as he was currently living in a tent. Of course, he has been on that list for the past three years.

“So what kind of hang-ups do you have,” I asked him? “I don’t drink alcohol or do drugs, but I smoke [holding a cigarette in his hand] – I can’t quit it.” I noticed a large bandage wrapped around his right leg just above his ankle. “What happened,” I asked pointing at his leg? He then told me that he took a wrong step and fell down a hill. After he was transported to the hospital, doctors placed a metal rod into his leg, but it was healing.

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” ― Abraham Lincoln