Serendipity can be frightening. Some people believe that it is an indication that you are on the right path in life, some believe it is just coincidence. What happened to me yesterday was serendipity of the frightening type.
I have been getting money for food and gas by collecting bottles and cans. Wake up at 5 am and try to find a neighborhood close by where the recycling is due to be picked up for that day. Before the truck comes I can typically make between $3 and $10. There are good and bad aspects to being houseless. Being treated with disdain from nearly everyone you talk to and trying to find a bathroom are the two big negatives for me. The most positive thing I’ve found about it is that I’m getting back in touch with Portland on a level that makes my life rich. I walk all day and look at old homes and their gardens. I get to know the feel of each neighborhood on an intimate level. Some neighborhoods have strong communities and they will tell you to “get the hell out” and “I’m tired of looking at you people.”
This serendipitous story is about a lost neighborhood I discovered. The streets are painted. The kids have amazing forts built right on the sidewalks. There is free tea available all the time and most importantly there is a house beautifully sculpted out of clay. It is also a place where nobody goes. I took a friend there and she said, “my feet hurt.”
On 3/28/19 I went to the lost neighborhood to look for cans. I didn’t find a single one, but I found an interesting piece of furniture on the corner for free. It is a tough decision to take on a piece of furniture when you don’t have a house or workshop, but this one was just too sweet to pass up. It was what I see as a plant stand. The paint was peeling off and the legs were broken. I slept with my head on it that night, and the next day took it to Mt. Tabor Park to repair and paint it. I started with the idea that I would make it simple and understated, but then threw that out the window and started painting leaves and pinecones and pressing them on there to make prints. I did a lot of freehand painting as well. I have painted my whole life but had never done it in a park. I loved it and I do love how the piece turned out.
The first person to walk by I shouted to please come and look at it. It was a woman who seemed to appreciate it and we got to talking. I told her about the lost neighborhood where I got the piece and about the painted streets and forts and the tea and the clay house. She was, possibly, astonished because she had lived in the clay house and knows the owner. I remember I said “how can this be possible?” Really, how can it? She thought it was great that I took on this project and shot a video interview on her phone. She made some signs and tried to help me sell it, but people are just always on edge with houseless people and it would take a lot of convincing to get someone to pull out their wallet in front of me.
That night I slept with my head on the plant stand. As I was falling asleep I thought about the serendipitous day and I was startled and even afraid. What are the odds? If I can get to WiFi tomorrow I will write another story like this. Thank you for reading and have a good day.
Art4survival 