A tradition is born; lucky, lucky me!

Baby Marley and I have started a tradition.

Every morning I carry my 5-month-old in the baby bjorn sling, and toddle over to the Dome coffee shop to get myself a fix. It's decaf, mind you (for Marley's sake, as I'm breastfeeding), but the ritual still gives me a lift.

Marley likes it, too. The ritual, that is, not the coffee. Fresh air and being in the upright position are two of her favourite things.

We've been following this ritual for a fortnight now, since my husband returned to work. And almost every day on our walk, we see a homeless man.

I haven't had the courage to speak to him, because I didn't know what to say. I longed to buy him food, but didn't want to appear condescending.

But, I genuinely wanted to try and help this man.

And at about 5 o'clock last night, while walking Marley up and down our balcony, I saw the man again. He was curled up, trying to sleep. No sox. No blanket. I knew that we could easily provide those things for this man.

So, we did. Neill, Marley and I walked over the road and gave him our summer doña (all we had) and a pair of warm fluffy socks. We were both nervous about how he would react. He was nothing but grateful.

We left it at that.

Then, this morning, as Marley and I went about our regular business of coffee buying, we saw him again. He was awake, so we chatted for a brief moment. His name is Michael, and he learned (and approved of) Marley's name.

I offered to buy him a coffee. And I offered to bring him a bowl of beef and barley soup, which I had cooked the night before. He didn't want either. "I'm just waiting for the bottle shop to open," was his response.

We left it at that.

As I strolled home, baby in sling and coffee in hand, I realised that Michael has actually helped me more than I've helped him.

By meeting him, I've been reminded of just how lucky I am. And, while I haven't had a decent night sleep in five months, I do have a warm and comfortable place to rest, complete with loving husband and precious baby girl.

I don't know what else I can do for Michael, but I'll be sure to include a friendly hello to him as part of our daily tradition.