NastyMcT : Blog : Photography : Alaska

  

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Originally uploaded by NastyMcT

Daylight : 6:04 a.m. - 9:51 p.m.

Wednesday night, after news reports of rice limitations and shortages. I went to a local wholesale type grocery store, and bought some. 70lbs to be exact. What am I going to do with all that rice??!?? Eat it. It’s a great grain to have in case of some natural disaster, but it’s also a basic staple, and something that I incorporate into my diet regularly. Food in general is already expensive enough here in Alaska. The cheap white rice in a 50# bag was $20 and $24 respectively for two different brands. Both were enriched. So I passed them up for a favorite of mine… Basmati. Yeah they’re more expensive. But I figure if I’m stuck eating rice, it’s going to taste good and have nutritional value. I also bought black beans, dried lentils, and canned tomatoes.

I was actually surprised while I was deciding on my rice, to come across one woman, and one couple, there to stock up too. One woman had a flat bed cart full of all kinds of baking items and supplies.

As I was rounding the corner to head to the checkout, a tiny framed man, covered in dirty and tattered clothes walked past me. I assumed he was from the “shanty town”, just down the hill from the store next to the train tracks. I don’t think I was wrong. As he passed by, he turned and said to me, “I see you’re getting your rice too. Do you accept Jesus into your life?”.

I didn’t understand him the first time, so by the third repeat, he had walked back towards me, and was standing right next to me. I heard him loud and clear. “Yes I do,” I replied. Satisfied, he turns and starts walking back towards the rice aisle and says, “Has he been talking to you about these things that are happening?” Me: “yes he has.”

At this point he has grabbed his two bags of rice, which possibly weigh more than him, and slung them on his shoulders, and is walking back towards me again. Noticing the black beans, he comments “Rice, beans and Jesus.” I said, “Rice beans and Jesus in my cart, what more do I need?!?”

We both smiled. He jetted to the registers and paid for his rice, and disappeared out of the front doors.

Again, something hits me that I’ve always known, or known for a long time. Having money, a *fancy* place to live, and lots of trivial shit, doesn’t make your life happier or fuller. This skinny dirty, but happy man, reminded me of that once again. It also hits me, that even though he seems underprivileged, this in no way made him less informed of what was going on around him. He received his message through Jesus. Me, through Sean.

I wish things were back to a basic level. Everyday I wake up, and I’m making less money. It costs me more to get to and from work. It costs more for basic necessities (food toilet paper soap). I’m certainly not unique, and I wonder how long this can go on, before people actually CAN’T afford to drive to work. Can’t afford to carpool. Can’t walk or ride a bike there. Can’t buy basic food supplies. I think it’s going to happen sooner than we think.