During this assignment, “Walmart Slumber Party” stood out to me simply from the name. I was unfamiliar that Walmart allowed people to spend the night in their parking lot, and even more surprised to discover that it allowed for a certain type of community and relationships to form. From this photo series, number 5 and number 11 stood out to me the most due to the acts of kindness within them. I will focus on photo 11.

This photo contains a man who appears to be laying underneath a tarp in between a motorcycle and a truck. To me, the post expresses an obvious lack of possessions, whether the man is traveling light on a trip or just simply does not own many materials; this describes a non-materialistic person who clearly has other priorities and values. After reading the caption, I learned that the man was traveling and was invited in by a fellow Walmart-stayer and given a glass of wine. The man then allowed the person in the photo to use his truck as a support for his tarp and evidently his home for that evening.

The expression on the face of the man in the photo is the focus in this photo. He is neither happy nor sad, simply indifferent with slight gratitude, in a sleeping bag with a pillow. It makes me wonder how he goes about his day and other things about his lifestyle. It relates to the overall essay by contributing an example of the casual acts of kindness that go on within the Walmart parking lot and in humanity in general. These acts of kindness demonstrate a positive flowing community and a kind environment. It is also comforting to know that there are people out there who are interested in helping others and will go out of their way to do so. Overall, a refreshing photograph.

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http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/29/magazine/look-walmart.html