The Homeless Problem
I was thinking about how cold it is getting out there and attitudes towards the homeless. You see, I have been there. I was homeless for the first time when I was pregnant with my first daughter, in Hollywood no less, and it was so hard to get out of! I never meant for any such thing to happen of course, I left with baby’s daddy to hitchhike to L.A., not knowing I was pregnant (yes I used birth control) thinking I was going to continue with my modeling career down there and my man was going to be a rock star of course! I had been a highly successful woman’s model for 3 years in Seattle and had every job there was to have in my area; homelessness was not in the plan. I was a large size model you see an as soon as I was pregnant and homeless the weight just dropped off and I could not work. Meanwhile we find out that every one that has talent and wants to be a star is also there, fucked. You can’t get welfare help without an address, I wasn’t allowed in any shelters because I was an insurance risk. I was forced to sleep in the park in the daytime and mostly stay up all night and a Norm’s, if we were lucky, we could get a baked potato and coffee! Staying clean consisted of knowing where bathrooms were and for the obvious reasons. I had one backpack and one guitar, so did he, one change of clothes and a sleeping bag. Back in the day you could still get the grocery store throw outs in the back garbage this saved my health immeasurably. This is no longer happening anywhere I would think. I remember the day they locked the fence around the Safeway garbage, in West Hollywood, I cried.
We finally got a place when I was 8 ½ months along and it was just a very large closet with a curtain and we were living with many people.
So my point is you can get there pretty easily, once you are there people treat you in many more extreme ways. I met sweet honest good people that brought us food in the park because God told them to. The other side was I was forced to spare change so I could eat; there were food banks but you can only carry and get so much. The looks I received from every day people shocked me, I was looked at like I was the scum of the earth by many and I was clean polite and pregnant!
So I am forever grateful now when I have a place to call home no matter how humble. Grateful to have food shelter, clothing and I have beauty in my life every day. I am loved, my life is comfortable enough, I am so grateful. I know what it is like to be cold and hungry and outcast, it can be a living hell, have compassion! Give what you can find local programs that help people off the street. This is so insane that in America we have people homeless cold and hungry. If you normally just shuffle by try something different. See them as a person too!
Can’t you give up your latte to buy a bit of hot food for someone you may pass by everyday? I know there are so many, I understand it is hard to look into their eyes they could be crazy? A lot of fear here, I understand. I give when the spirit moves me, the spirit of compassion! Try to remember we are all one, so up your Karma points and
DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING YOU CAN!
Flex your compassion muscles!
Sistastarbird's Blog 