Extra-ordinary!

Extraordinary is a great word because it is the sum of two concepts smushed together to create an incredible idea: Extra (having more that what is needed) and ordinary (common) combine to produce an picture of greatness. An idea that even the most average thing can achieve epic results if it reaches outside itself. I love it.

Over the past few years I've spoken to countless men, women, and children who were either homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless. It would be a gross inaccuracy to say that all of them could be represented with one or two statements or generalizations. Each person has their own tale and some had been beaten down and were running low on hope while others possessed a seemingly immeasurable amount of hope. Many have dreams of greatness and refuse to let their current situation dictate their goals for the future. Being homeless does not mean an individual must forfeit their dreams. I did some research and here is a list of three extraordinary people who were, at one time in their life, homeless.

Colonel Sanders
Seeing Colonel Sander's pictures and statues on every KFC outlet, one assumes that he must've had invested millions of dollars to make such a large network of fast food restaurants. However, it's not true. Colonel Sanders, who started Kentucky fried chicken (KFC) in 1952, had to experience homelessness for a long period during his childhood. His father died, when he was five and his mother quickly remarried. At the age of ten, he decided to leave his home because his step-father used to beat him. After that, he remained homeless for a long period of time and did many jobs, during that time. It was not until the age of forty, that Colonel found a proper home and a Job as a cook in a restaurant and started working on his own Secret recipe, which would later on become the main item on KFC menu.

Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin was not just an Oscar-winning actor, director and author. He was also one of those famous people who faced homelessness. According to his autobiography Charlie's parents separated before he was three. Throughout his childhood he lived with his mother, except for a small period of time when he and his brother moved with their father and his mistress. At the age of 12, Charlie's father died of Cirrhosis and soon after that his mother became mentally ill and had to be admitted to a hospital. This left Charlie homeless and he had to go to a workhouse in London. He spent the rest of his childhood moving from one charity home to another. Charlie continued his struggle until he reached United States in 1912, where he started getting roles and acted in major silent films.

Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the most powerful nation in the world (USA) and one of author of American declaration of Independence, also went through a rough patch when he had no home to live in. In his birthplace Boston, Benjamin worked as an apprentice to his brother who published a Newspaper named "New England Courant". Benjamin wrote certain materials in that paper which were not liked by the authorities of his time so they banned the "New England Courant". However, Benjamin continued to publish against the government without the consent of his brother. This raised a quarrel between the brothers and Benjamin ran away to New York. It was in New York that he had to face homelessness because he had very little money and he knew nobody in the city. However, Benjamin remained homeless for a short period of time and found a Job after moving to Philadelphia.

We must never give up on people or lose faith that greatness is attainable for those we might think are beyond the scope of contributing to society. I wonder what incredible person might be homeless in Kalispell tonight?

Research courtesy of Umer Guchani