On Sept. 9, I drove into the Wendy’s chain near my home to pick up a mobile order. As I waited in line, I noticed a disheveled homeless man panhandling between cars. My chest tightened. Without thinking, I canceled my order, drove away and placed the same order at another Wendy’s two miles away.
That decision wasn’t rational. It was PTSD.
Just minutes earlier, I had been on the phone with LEAP (Ladies Empowerment and Action Program), a South Miami nonprofit that helps women rebuild their lives after prison. I first encountered LEAP years ago as a contracts officer overseeing county-funded organizations. Today, I volunteer with them…