Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Down an out in America

Last night I was speaking to a good friend and sharing my life while at Mcdonalds to use their
free wifi and having a cup of senior coffee.

He read my blog and said I was a good writer. I was very honored since he is a school teacher and enjoying the brief summer break.

We are getting together to make music and make up for a misunderstanding and the years that got between us. He is great guy with a child like exuberance and is very understanding and supportive. 
 
When I told him of my past year of moving from place to place, uncertainty and homelessness, he was almost at a loss for words. The subject of homelessness makes most people who are use to the comforts of home, uneasy. Americans who have not yet felt the sting of this contrived economic disaster, had better be prepared. We used to be a culture with a can do attitude. We used to face disasters and hardship come hell or high water. This wartime Airforce Motto was standard talk of the day.

The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.

We are going to have to prepare ourselves with an Eye Of The Tiger mentality if we are to survive not just as Americans, but as human beings.

It seems that when one falls on hard times, the blame is on ourselves as to why we failed. To add further guilt is hearing the condemnation of family, friends, peers, social groups like churches. All of whom we thought were are support group. Losing your house, job, finances, car and everything else is surely a sign from God that you simply did not have enough faith. That seems to be the thinking of the polluted, self righteous, fault finding Christians who have equated moneyed success with God smiling down on his anointed blessed. When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Pat Robertson said that was God's punishment to an area that celebrates Mardi Gra or other pagan practices. I mentioned in previous blogs about Katrina being steered to hit land. We have the technology and I firmly believe it was so then, and now.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust. It just happens because nothing in this life is guaranteed or promised. It just happens. Shit happens as simple as that. People are quick to blame your failure because you offended God or whatever, or you did not attend Sunday school as often as you should have, or you stole that candy when nobody was watching. The blame goes on and on.


I remember what my friend said years ago, that he would like to make it as a human being and be content with that. The subject came up when I said I would like to be a successful musician artist one day. My friend had the wisdom and the gifted thought to say that back then. He is so right. I would just like to make it from one day to the next with my health intact, my fingers and toes, well, at least most of them.
That is a success story.


This is the wisdom of being homeless. Appreciating life, and what little blessings that come with it, be it food, a cup of coffee, using the toilet and washrooms in Mcdonalds.  I met a poor couple that were living in their car and recently married. I gave them ten dollars and when I left the parking lot at Flying J's, I missed them right of way. These poor people were my family I still think about them. They were parked in the stall next to mine. So were a lot of other people who were in the same homeless situation I was in. I wish I had the married couple's mobile number to keep in touch with them. I made friends with them since we were all in the same boat. I feel connected to the poor and disenfranchised. I am one of them, they are a part of me.


Here's food for thought.

When someone hits bottom or the end, according to Webster's Dictionary it is defined as..
"point of beginning".

Lately I have listening to Queen's " Under Pressure". I feel it has relevance to what I am talking about. Listen to it on youtube if you get a chance. I will attempt to put it here on the blog. I am rusty on my coding skills but, I will give it a shot.

Peace to All.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM

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