Secondary Lives... Secondhand Living

Life....

What truly comes to mind when the word Life is mentioned?

Everyone has a different interpretation of the word. Some seem to have

all the tools and manuals for Life.. but to those cast to the wayside of Life....of Humanity, Life becomes a Foreign Language with no interpreter to make sense of any of it. No instructions to be found anywhere…

~ Secondhand Living, Second Edition of Life...~

Life on the Streets... Means;

Living on the periphery of human existence by

Living off and through the cast-offs, throw aways, hand me downs….

Living through the threads of other people's lives, at times, through the barest of threads.

Living in the shadows of other people's lives….. in the shadows of humanity.

Living life second hand, sometimes several generations down. Existing around the edges and periphery of life, society…. But not allowed to be part of it. Even then, barely tolerated. And Even less so when physically challenged and you don't move in the perceived manner set forth by society of what they consider “real” and "acceptable".

Not welcome as part of humanity, of society, but rather almost tolerated. And all the private details of your life, every facet of your existence, from where and when you sleep, use the restroom, bathe, brush your teeth, change clothes, is put up on the public screen for everyone to see, view, comment on, and disregard.

Being on the streets does change you, and not always in the best of ways… you find yourself becoming more hardened on the inside, closing yourself off further and further.

Doing your best to keep distance from people now, actually dreading having to be anywhere

where people are no matter where this may be; the library,

grocery store, retail store, parks…..because of how you are treated and the cruel comments directly

targeted right at you.

You become more withdrawn from life and stay clear of people.

Becoming more and more a piece of the landscape, blending

further with the environment.

~ The Secondhand Life…. Secondhand Living ~

Living on the periphery of humanity, society…..

Discarded lives, tossed to the wayside more like garbage to dispose of, rather than

treated as the living, feeling, breathing beings we actually are, just

because of a change in circumstance.

Having to live your life on the streets changes a person, especially

in the way you are treated by others, and takes a tremendous toll on your life...mentally, physically. Your health is compromised every moment… being exposed to absolutely everything.

Life becomes… mundane and obsolete.