Friday, November 22, 2019

Thanksgiving... Life on the Streets 2019



Gratitude... A Life on the Streets

Thanksgiving 2019


And the tradition continues.... another day of a life
on the street for another Thanksgiving.

Spending the day with a stack of books, unless I am
able to find some place to Volunteer, but this is the time of year
that is overflowing with volunteers making up for the rest
of the year of them letting it go by the wayside
, so if I cannot find a plce to volunteer (which is something I have
done throughout my life, not just the decades outside and through the
Holidays, as well, if help is needed and not filled) reading
in the park, walking through and in Nature and counting my Blessings.

A tradition I never once dreamed would be my life, of
living on the streets, has become my very existence.
But counting my Blessings has become a staple of life,
every moment of it. Reading in the park on the Holidays is
another tradition, because everything is closed, volunteering is
over-filled, and I have nowhere or place to go or be...
so reading makes the time go by quickly, and I
do not have to think about life.

Just take in the smells, listen to nature's orchestra
and feel grateful just to BE in the moment,
surrounded by the Beauty of Nature and all
Her Gifts the animals bring to my heart.

I have much to be Grateful for, which I
keep having to redirect my focus on, otherwise,
life takes hold and reality smashes into
my face and the circumstance I have been
forced to endure decade after decade.

Some things I am Grateful for;
- Having access to clean water to drink
- Having access to restrooms to cleanup in, change and 
wash my hair in the icy cold water from the sink
- Being literate and able to read and write with proficiency
- Having the means to do laundry when I need to
- Having clothes to wear
- Having a body that continues to hold me up
- Having many in Law Enforcement on my side
- Receiving Help that have been treasured gifts
- Being able to Communicate in a variety of ways
- Having a good, portable toothbrush
- Being able to make great coffee without a coffeemaker
- Being able to volunteer to work with animals

These are just a few things I am deeply, truly Grateful for.

Many other things come to mind of what I am Grateful
for. And I count Blessing after Blessing throughout the day
and it keeps me pressing on to face another day without
a home. But Purpose and Meaning have Eclipsed my life.
What are the lessons I am supposed to learn being
forced to live outside, without a home, indefinitely?
Whatever the lessons are suppose to be,
it is not something I have been able to cull
from. How do you draw a meaningful and
purposeful life when you are forced into a
circumstance not of your choosing and
you lose youself in the process?

And while I will never be Grateful for being forced from my home
by and through the illegal actions of a despicable landlord,
living on the streets teaches you about Life in the very
literal sense;

You learn how to be resilent and how to use what you have
all around you, while improvising every moment of every day and
all through the night. Street life teaches you how to persevre
through the worst (of) what life throws at you, and all you experience
and face with life without the comfort and security of a home.
There is no way to prepare for and nothing prepares you
for street life, even when fully immersed in it.

But the Gratitude stems from what I have learned
and how to become while living on the street;
The strength that has come forth that I never knew
was there, learning how to quickly adapt to
anything and everything that comes my way, or I am
forced to endure, how to let go and move on and
keep moving forward.

The Tradtion now unfolding and becoming the staple
of life... is how to live when you merely exist, while
around the Fringes of Life itself.Every moment of
every day, Each and every Holiday and Winter, Summer,
Spring and Fall. A Tradition that is a
Century in the Making.

Another Thanksgiving steeped in the
Non-Traditional specs of Street life.

Thanksgiving Blessings.





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