It Could Happen To You (or me)

Spent the morning helping out at a homeless breakfast in the city.

It's a fantastic centre – they even offer the clients showers and fresh clothes.

Chatting to people was fascinating as always. Without wishing to trivialise their situation, it's amazing how poverty can afflict anyone. No matter how successful you are, no matter how much money you have today, no matter how many strong friendships you have, the fact still remains: you actually might be sleeping on a pavement soon.

I got talking to one of the other helpers, who unexpectedly turned out to be a client. I'd wrongly assumed that she was a volunteer, I think because she had been smiling so much.

She was from New Zealand. She'd come to London to search for her daughter. Having eventually ascertained that her daughter was in fact in Ireland, she'd finally given up and turned around to go back home again.

Except that the world won't let her go back home. That takes a thousand impossible pounds for a plane ticket.

And what happens when she gets there? She succeeds in giving-up.

What a nightmare, when you're made to work so hard for something you don't even want.