Not Fit To Live In

Spend only a few minutes outside and you will be happy enough when the front door closes and you are lounging comfortably in your favorite recliner watching the NFL playoffs while (though you would never admit publicly) your Snuggie wraps around you. This time of year we traverse the elements in brief, controllable spurts: Quick jaunt outside to start the car before we run errands. Mad roundtrip dash down the driveway to collect the mail. Record-setting sprint from the parking lot to the grocery store.

January in Montana is not pleasant unless you are a polar bear and since most of you are not covered with thick white fur, spending as little time as possible outside is a very sane choice. A few weeks ago the windchill plummeted to almost 50 below zero in Great Falls and Havre.  Kalispell was bitteryl cold in a Hoth (Google it) sort of way, too. And please stop me from jamming icicles into my eyes before someone tells me that at least its a "dry cold." Negative 50 is deadly.

Yet, there were people living outside in places not meant for human habitation during that freezing spell. And there are people living outside right now. And there will be people living outside next week, month, and year. We live in a society that is saturated by instant images and pictures of events happening in real time. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and numerous other social media sites have produced a culture of voyeurism that numbs us to things we cannot see. Since life is now viewed by multiple angles and snapshots, our imagination is stunted and we forget that "what you see" encompasses much more than "what you get."

Please try to remember those who are living in tents outside city limits. Alleys and vacant lots become makeshift campsites. Snow blown parks and abandoned buildings serve as places where some of the homeless bunker down and try to survive day to day and night to night. Just because many of these people are hidden from public view does not mean they aren't out there. Frostbite and hypothermia are constant dangers and living outside this time of year can be a death sentence.

One service Samaritan House provides is the compilation and distribution of backpacks for those living in the elements. These mobile care packets contain items that can help an individual survive in freezing weather. Sleeping bags, blankets, warm socks, gloves, and other items can mean the difference between life and death. If you are interested in donating material items or financial help toward these backpacks, please don't hesitate to call the shelter  (257-5801) for more information.

You might literally save a life.