A New Addiction...

A life-altering event. That's my realization of homelessness, gained firsthand out here on the streets and highways of our country. What a change in living circumstances! All of a sudden, even the most common day-to-day events takes on a different hue. 

We take so many things for granted, like running water. Like indoor plumbing, accessible on demand (at least 99% of the time; allowing for plumbing anomalies), sleeping (in a bed is really a blessing; on the ground it is an exercise steeped in uncertainty, given the variables of weather, environment and the like), eating (up to 75% of the time of a homeless person; the quest for food consumes much of a homeless person's time and energy).

The homeless face so many challenges that many 'regular' people think of them almost as a separate species, barely worthy of respect, much less acknowledgement. Additionally, those who set in motion the chain of events that resulted in so many Americans becoming homeless have almost succeeded in convincing the rest of society that they are the cause of their own misery. Talk about Chutzpah! 

Now the homeless have the added burden of the social stigma attached to them by the very charlatans who put them on the street to begin with! 

As I've made my way through the southern half of California (where I choose to live), I've seen so very many persons with compelling personal narratives to share; it's like covering a major disaster that is slowly taking place before our unbelieving eyes. So many of these people are as regular as your next-door neighbor...you wonder, "how did HE/SHE end up homeless" and, "Am I going to be next"?

Having talked at length with many of these people, it comes to me that there should be someone telling their story...someone calling our society to account for all of this human suffering.

And now, this mission is beginning to take on a life of it's own, a 'calling' to me to document this still-developing tragedy. My natural inquisitiveness and curiosity draw me to this task. Additionally, much of my time is spent our there on the streets - where this is all taking place.

So...many of my posts will originate "On The Road" as I speak with people on how life in America has changed for them since September 15th. Their stories touch my heart. I want to share them with you and will do so during the coming months. 

This, then is my NEW addiction...telling the stories of people that you know, the stories of people unseen, the stories of people who have no one to speak up on their behalf.

Stay with us. You may heard/read a story that sounds very similar to someone you"ve known. 

We're going to have a different close starting today.

I sincerely hope that 2014 is a fantastic year for you, filled with happiness, good health and good fortune.

Blessed be !

This begins a series that was thrust upon me, as it was on many others, like an economic tsunami. It came, literally without warning, (some, like myself had a vague unease leading up to the financial collapse of 2007-2008, but our words were ignored.)

In the pre-dawn hours you can make out their forms. Dark. Silhouettes moving along back streets. A large, dark mass in a darkened doorway. Look closely, though, for they will be gone soon. They move silently, ghost-like. They're invisible, as Society wishes. Swept under the rug. They are 'deniable'. 'Non-persons'.

What then is their crime that they are viewed with such disdain? Why has Society cast them off like so much human flotsam?

They are the homeless. Many of them ARE "guilty". Guilty, that is of believing in the American Dream. You know, the one that goes, "Do your job with honesty and great vigor and you shall be rewarded". (You do remember that cartoon with the fellow with the feeble smile on his face and a size 250 wood screw driven through his middle, don't you?) Every day these middle class went to work, put in their time and energy, all the time believing that they were paving their way into a better, secure future for themselves and their families.

There are others, to be sure. Drugs. Alcohol. Mental Illness. Issues that our Society refuses to confront. Soon, it may be forced to confront them anyway. More about that later.

In our specific instance, it was a two-step drop to living on the street. A nasty divorce in 2007 took all of my lifetime's works and treasures; trying to rebuild financially in 2009 moving forward, my work managed to keep a roof over my head and food stamps helped put food on the table.

Homelessness came home to roost finally on 1 February of this year, 2013. Since then, it's been a struggle to stay upright and moving ahead. In this case, it's also making lemons into lemonade, to allude to that old axiom about misfortune. 

It's been an amazing journey, with insights coming from everywhere. All sorts of people moving through our life. Some are transitory, others have a feel of permanence. As time and resources become available, we intend to flesh out this journey with pictures (maybe even video) and links to places you may find interesting, worth a moment or two of your time or attention. Of course, we invite your comments. 

Tomorrow: A New Addiction

How Time Flies...when you're having fun

Almost a year since we last posted. Very busy trying simply to survive the financial tsunami and it's continued economic malaise; finding housing. A lot of new material has come out of this experience, however. We hear of "the homeless" and our eyes start to glaze over. Not THEM again !! Let's get something straight...there, but for the grace of God go YOU. And it COULD happen to you if you don't stay alert. Even now, the financial markets are being juiced by the big players on the money train. Investment Banks, holding companies and others are deciding how they are going to engineer the next "crash" so they can sell short again and prosper while millions will be losing their homes; this one will result in a truly 'classless' society. We shall ALL be poor and indentured to those who will have long since departed our shores for the economic safety of the Caymans, Costa Rica or Dubai

Anyhoo, as I started to say, we've had a self-imposed deadline to get this blog up and running again. Being an urban camper has resulted in a wealth of material about the people we've met, the places we've been along the way. We've seen much beauty and generosity, but sadly, much negative at the same time. 

A couple of shout-out's to some people we've met along the way. Each of them gets their own special treatment, pics (when it is financially doable), "Uncle Eddie" up near Chicano Park here in San Diego is one of them. The small shop-keeper - Wal*Mart can't stop 'em! I love it !

A big shout to my friends and compatriots over at The Huffington Post. Missed you much. Back now for keeps.

This time last year saw us in Palm Desert, CA. Now we're in San Diego. Ambivalent now as there is much to laud about this Seaport Village all grown up/not all grown up. There's also a lack of creative spark like that which inspired me in Coachella. No Mt. San Jacinto. No McCallum Theatre. 

Are these the opening paragraphs of another "Tayle of Two Citees"?

Time will tell. Drop us a comment. We moderate as time permits, hopefully income will grant us more time and we shall all be fat and happy little cherubin...