Judged by association.

There have been very few times when I have got a sense of what its really like to be on the outside of society. But tonight I got a tiny feel of it.

Before the church opened for helping and feeding people in our Boomerang project, I decided to nip into town to get some food, as I was walking into town by the main centre, I heard about 3 people all shout my name, and there by the fountain was a group of our weekly attendees.
Some were busking, others had been on the beer for a while, others just passing the time, but all were loud and lary, joking laughing and generally trying to keep warm. As I joined their group and sat with them for an hour, I started to notice the looks in the eyes of the passersby. As I was assumed to be one of them, I really started to notice, the look of disdain or stared at, but not  looked in the eye, by the shoppers and workers.

Later on I had to buy some Yorkshire puddings, for their food and some of them deiced to join me, but as I went into each shop I noticed none of them would cross the border into the shops, then it struck me, they are baned from alot of the local shops and once inside the shops, the staff were weary of me.

After that we went and got a few cups of teas in a local cafe, again the looks from the staff, was one of annoyance and alarm..

It's amazing, I don't feel like I am cocooned from the more colourful people of our society, but then I spend time with them, and then never cease to re-adjust me into a new perspective . I am protected by my comfort.

 The people from the boomerang project really do bless me.