~
The Compromise.... Life on the Streets ~
Life
is an endless series of compromise. And when that
life
is lived on the streets, even more so. Our lives, our health,
our
safety.... what we eat, how we live; are all deeply compromised.
Without
refrigeration, we cannot keep and safely store foods.
Our
sleep is compromised and continually disturbed,
being rudely woken more nights than not, sometimes
being rudely woken more nights than not, sometimes
several
times a night, just for not having the
luxury
of sleeping inside a home, on a warm bed.
Comforts
of Life.... have been compromised so completely,
you
forget what it was even like to have it a part of your life.
You
never realize what you had until it is gone, and then it
is
too late to really appreciate it for what it was and all it did.
Your
very personality changes living on
the
streets, from the inside out....and outside in.
The
only language my body speaks and communicates
in
is through pain. Why is this the only language my
body
is fully fluent in and knows?
Decades
of my life have been taken from me, consumed
by
the Streets. Everyday a painful and pain-filled reminder.
Not
a few days, a couple weeks, or a month or two,
but
decades of my life have been consumed on the streets.
I
have spent several lifetimes on the streets....
Lifetimes
that can never be recovered.
Living
on the streets teaches you things just by being in a
circumstance
not of your choosing, but imposed on you,
regardless.
Nature truly is the Best Teacher.
It
teaches you to be resourceful, and improvise as you
go
along, using what you have on hand and all around.
I
have learned about the very essence of life
while
on the streets. Nature teaches you how to survive
by
the very nature of being in Nature. And survival becomes
second
nature because of Nature.
You
become a survivalist by the very nature
of
being out in Nature.
You
become better at disengaging.
I've
learned how to make great coffee without the use of a
coffee
maker, and it turns out so much better and richer
than
any coffee maker could make. I've learned how to cook
without
the use of a kitchen, by using and utilizing
what
I have all around me. Using a single item for
hundreds
of other uses.
Improvising
through life, every moment of every day.
Living
on the streets becomes more of a fine art, and the
best
training ground for life. Teaching you how to let go and
move
on, while learning to let things be as they are.
Life
teaching you on the Fly about how to be.
And
should be included as an Olympic Sport...
I
would medal at the very top!!
Living
on the street takes camping to a whole new level.
Living
on the Streets teaches you to be more resilient, stronger
than
you thought possible, and finding strength just by
being
present. Nature teaches you to adapt, because
you
have no other option available to you. It forces you to
change
and bend to its will, not your own at any given time.
It
conditions you to adhere to its Rules, and Will....
another
Compromise.
Improvisation
becomes second nature in all you do. You learn to
MacGyver
your way through life when you live on the streets,
without
the comforts of home, using a
single
item for multiple purposes, like re-purposing LIFE
every
moment of the day, all day, everyday
Living
on the Streets
….
A Blessing and a Curse
You
learn more about living and LIFE on the streets than
you
could ever learn in any classroom. Nature teaches you
everything
– about life, about death and what truly
matters
in the deepest context.
You
learn a lot about life, more about death and what truly
matters
living on the streets. You come face to face
with who you
really are – at the core level.
You find out what you are truly
made of.
The
lessons you learn on the streets are immeasurable in life.
it
changes who you are and strips you down until
there is nothing
left
and builds you up, literally forcing you to become a different you---
in
every way, shape and form.
Being
on the streets is wholly consuming, completely draining
and
leaves you depleted and raw, while hardening you
around
the edges and cutting you to the very core.
Life....and
endless series of Compromise.
