“Points West” by Steve Lopez

A year ago, I met a man who was down on his luck and I thought I might be able to help him. I don’t know that I have. Yes, my friend Mr. Ayers now sleeps inside. He has a key. He has a bed. But his mental state and his well-being are as precarious as they were the day we met. There are people who tell me I’ve helped him. Mental health experts who say that the simple act of being someone’s friend can change his brain chemistry, improving his functions in the world. I can’t speak for Mr. Ayers in that regard. Maybe our friendship has helped him. But maybe not. I can, however, speak for myself. I can tell you that by witnessing Mr. Ayers’s courage, his humility, his faith in the power of his art, I’ve learned the dignity of being loyal to something you believe in, of holding onto it. Above all else, of believing, without question, that it will carry you home.

至於好友Lisa的聯想我心領了，當專欄作家是新聞人的夢，我無緣完這個夢，就跳過那一步直接寫書吧。滿臉鬍渣倒蠻像的。