Talking about homelessness…..

I was looking over some of the first posts I made on this blog. I realized that my writing style has drastically changed. I felt so relieved that those days of homelessness are over. It was a tough time that I do not want to relive. You really don’t know what it is like to wake up to a twenty degree morning in a tent in the woods until you experience it. Even the simplest tasks seem like insurmountable ordeals.

There were some good things that came out of it. Good things from homelessness? Yes, I feel it built character in me. It also made me come to the realization that I was sick and needed medication. I also started to take substance abuse seriously. I still do drink from time to time, I am not a saint, but I drink responsibly. I go to AA meetings for the social aspects and to remind me from where I came.

I was thinking over something the homeless guy posted a few days ago. He made the blanket statement that homeless people are not goal oriented. I disagree. Homeless people have goals but many of them are simple. Being homeless tends to bring you down to the base levels of emotions and needs. I am not an amoeba (Pipe you will catch this inside joke). Homeless people seek love and satisfaction just like homed people do. They have the goals of seeking community, seeking food, seeking warmth. I would be so bold to make the statement that all homeless people seek a home. That is a goal as well.

One of the more destructive goals is substance abuse. I feel I am an expert in this area. This is a goal, a destructive one, but a goal none the less. The goal is to escape your surroundings and try to feel better about things. If you have read Sullivan’s blog then you would realize this. Sullivan is a homeless man in Tampa Florida whose journal is called the last day of my life. Sullivan is more interested now in writing about political issues but his blog gained notoriety from his writings about the homeless people around him. You have to delve deep into his archives to find this material.

Sullivan wrote in a comedic way about the substance abuse around him. He wrote about drinking and crack cocaine. These things are prevalent on the streets and amid homelessness. He weaved a story of insanity as these people he dealt with scurried around his neighborhood trying to score and smoke crack. It certainly would be disturbing for some to read but it is reality. You do not read about these kinds of things on the homeless guy’s site. I would scare off his customers and the money would stop flowing.

Well, I will close. These things were just bouncing around my head this morning and I wanted to write about them. I will probably write more as these ideas solidify in my mind. Good morning and have a great day.