There are no rabbits in this picture so don’t try looking for them. This picture is not related to today’s entry in any way.
This is only my third month of being houseless. The first month I was out of food and gas for my car, I had the flu and it was in the mid 20’s at night. I was already pretty angry that I had worked my ass off my whole life and ended up in this position, but literally not being able to sleep because I was shaking so bad made me even more angry. I posted a lot to craigslist and after three weeks someone did bring me some cookies, some candles and $5. I made a heater out of the candle with an inverted terracotta flower pot over the top, that got my car so hot I woke up in a puddle of sweat, but I was still angry. Then there are the people that treat me so rudely. Some employees of QFC, Fred Meyer and Safeway don’t respond to me when I say “good morning” or “how are you today.” It just isn’t necessary to make people feel that all they are in this world is a nuisance. It’s a bad feeling. The only store where ALL the employees are consistently kind is New Seasons. I think there are a lot of kind people at Trader Joes as well.
Then one day there was a shift in my attitude. It might have started with a long vicious argument I got into with a homeowner who told me to go to someone elses neighborhood, who in the end apologized graciously to me and said he was wrong for assuming things about the kind of person I was. I think that is when I realized that, having skateboarded for 35 years, being persuasive in confrontations with very aggressive people is a strength of mine. Up until the time when skateparks were built here, I had confrontations with aggressive people on a daily basis, and I know how to diffuse those situations and sometimes make people see things from my point of view. I’m starting to believe that maybe the solutions to the houseless problems will come from one or more houseless people. It’s difficult to walk 13 miles a day to collect cans to survive, and still have energy to put into some of my ideas but I’m trying my best. I need help from a corporate savvy person, but I don’t know who would help me. I am running ideas by other houseless people. Maybe the solutions will come from another houseless person, or maybe from myself. I do believe I can make a difference somehow if I try.
About the rabbits… I found a house with a rabbit hutch facing the sidewalk. Once in a while I buy a carrot or two and go there to feed them. They are already fat, but it seems like they really enjoy them, so I feed them anyway. Two blocks away there are four goats that climb around on a large wooden structure. This is what I call one of my vacation neighborhoods. I always collect bottles and cans there, but my primary reason for going is to see the rabbits.
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
Art4survival 