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

Missing the past

“I’m 42 and from South Carolina,” he told me. I met him on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky this past Sunday. I asked if he had any family and he told me that he does, but had not seen his parents in over 10-years. “Are you working right now,” I asked with curiosity? “Naaah, just trying to hustle, how much is that picture worth,” he asked? I laughed and said, “You don’t have to pay me.” 

As the conversation continued, I quickly realized that he greatly misses his parents. Again, he has not seen them in over 10-years.

He then talked about attending high school in South Carolina where he grew up in the small county of Greenwood. The population today is barely over 23,000 residents with only 0.19% being African American. In the 1990’s when he attended high school, the population stood at 20,000. 

The New York Times reported in 2011 that the county of Greenwood experienced the highest economic decline in the United States. One reason, the deindustrialization of the textile mills that once held the county together. 

I asked, “Are you homeless today?” He told me that he lives with friends.

My Step Father, My Step Father

I saw him picking up change in the parking lot of a closed liquor store on a Sunday morning. I stopped to talk and handed him what little change I had. Another homeless man passing by asked me if I had anything else to spare… This man [pictured] then walked over and gave the other homeless individual the change I just gave him, plus the change that he picked up in the parking lot.

In our brief conversation he told me that he battles with mental illness 24/7. “Are you suffering from schizophrenia,” I asked. “Yes,” he told me while never making eye contact. “What do you see when you go through an episode,” I asked… The mood changed as he looked down at the ground scrunching his eyes closed. He moved his arms and hands to describe to me what he saw.

“He is a tall and hairy man, mean – my step father – my step father,” he repeated. It was obvious that his schizophrenic episodes were based on his childhood reality. I did not inquire further as I felt like he was too overcome with emotional pain. Our conversation ended as he simply turned and calmly walked away not saying a single word. 

U.S. Marine at Hippie Hill

Today at Hippie Hill in Tennessee I met this fella (pictured), who was actually born in England, but moved to California as a child:

“I enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps at the age of 17 with the idea of going to Vietnam to help my friends,” he told me as he got serious. Then he smiled and said, “Little did I know, the Marines had different plans for me… I never went to Vietnam.” He was sent to Japan where he began his education, paid for by Uncle Sam. He eventually became a Flight Controller and once out of the Corps, he went on to be a stockbroker. No, you would never guess that by looking at him. To me, that was the cool part.

Synthetic Marijuana - Not good

Albert Einstein once stated, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." I think he was correct. 

I went to Hippie Hill today and simply sat and relaxed for a few hours this evening. As I sat on a lawn chair at the bottom of the hill I talked with Hippie Tom and Dwight Teagarden about life and the problem we are facing in Murfreesboro over synthetic drug use. Without a doubt, they agreed how dangerous synthetics are on our youth and adults who assume they are just like real marijuana. Their words… “They’re not!!! [They are in no way similar and much more dangerous].” 

Heroin is very real in Tennessee

Heroin is real: “My boyfriend died of a Heroin overdose last month… I’m all alone,” she told me. “His family continues to threaten me, he was married, but I did not know that at the time,” she said while looking down at the ground. We visited with her at the group home she is currently living in, deep into the bowels of downtown Nashville. She is currently living in a group home while emotionally overcoming not only the death of a loved one, but overcoming her own problems. She too was a heroin addict, but has not used in quite some time. Considering the circumstances, she is doing well.

Because her story and life are so fragile, I made sure it was okay to share her story even asking her twice. My thought is that perhaps her story could help someone else.

My friend Chris Spence noticed her Florida Gators Tattoo and she told us that she moved to Tennessee after her gastric bypass surgery. I smiled and said, “Man, you have already overcome so much.” She told us with a glimmer of hope, “I use to weigh over 400-pounds.”

Prior to visiting her, we stopped by the grocery store and carefully selected foods that included fresh fruits that would agree with her diabetic diet. She was so thankful.

"Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle." - Napoleon Hill

Hello Ms. Debbie

Ms. Debbie saw me take a photo of someone and immediately said, "Oh, you're taking pictures. Do you want to take mine?" I smiled, "Of course I do Ms. Debbie." She then sat on her cooler and said, "Okay... I'm ready."

For those who do not know Ms. Debbie, you should. She makes me laugh every time I see her because of the funny sayings she has. For example, if there is a fly in the car and I am taking her somewhere she will say something to the effect of, "Hello Mr. Fly, what are you doing in here - you aren't supposed to be here Mr. Fly, you're supposed to be outside, fly away fly."

Over 15-years ago, Debbie's husband died of cancer. She has been in and out of motels ever since. When Debbie and her son don't have the cash to stay somewhere, they live in a tent. Usually, they stay in the woods, but sometimes under bridges.

"When someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone who loves them does, too." - Terri Clark (Terri Lynn Sauson).

Terri is an excellent country music entertainer who once lived in Murfreesboro, TN. She is originally from Canada, but now calls the South home. She got her start playing at the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville after working hard and saving money to move to Middle Tennessee, because of her love for country music. She now lives in Nashville.

In late 2007, Clark received news that her mother was diagnosed with cancer. The tumor was removed, but Clark's mother died on April 4, 2010.

Drinking the day away, sometimes blogging

He quietly sits under a bridge drinking his days away. His fingers are badly stained by years of smoking, even burned black. He is 56-years old and sometimes when his beer gets hot, he pours it into a cup of ice. But, that is all you would know if you passed him by without talking, if you were observant.

I find it fascinating that John has the creative enthusiasm to operate a blog site that he updated daily, until his phone recently broke. Sometimes, he will venture into the library to update his posts, other times he relaxes with other homeless friends he lives with.

John’s blog is a mixture of sci-fi with an added touch of small reality throughout his posts. In one post he wrote, “I spent most of my life moving around with a back-pack on and sometimes I read a text-book for weeks wondering about the inventors that had left their thoughts behind.” He also talks about bug bites, describing them with the mathematical term of "asymptotic." He said the bites he received at the age of 14 were in the shape of a penis. Yes, you read that correctly. He has a sense of humor, a very interesting sense of humor I might add.

After a few laughs about his blog, he talked about the death of his mother in Ithaca, New York where he grew up. He described the city as a place where geniuses are on every corner. His mother was struck by a truck and killed in the city that was founded in 1790. His thoughts on geniuses made sense, considering Cornell University is in Ithaca. He told me he came to Murfreesboro over 13-years ago because his sister was killed in an automobile accident. He never left after the funeral.

“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.” ― Edgar Allan Poe

Daughters, a brush of gold

“Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. This ought not to be written in ink but in a golden splash.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan