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Wednesday, 7 January 2009 |
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| Journal | Musings & Notes | |
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 Usually
the line is 50-60 people long. Not today. Maybe cause of the cold, wet
weather. Maybe my timing. Who knows. It's not important.
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 And
on a related note ... there are several steps between "rent" and a
"shopping cart" --- they include couch surfing, sleeping in the
mini-storage unit, staying in your VW or Chevy camper
overnight and getting a motel voucher for a week. Only then comes the
shopping cart and staying under a bridge.
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 And
when you have a few dollars for non-food items, discount grocers and second
hand stores are AWESOME for things like soap and shampoo and toilet paper.
Thanks to all my (anonymous) Bellingham friends for turning me on to these
places, for turning me on to this type of living, for being a 'mensch' and
helping your fellow human being without even one single pre-condition or
judgment --- including the Grocery Outlet, Sunshine Liquidators, Goodwill,
the Salvation Army and Value City.
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While I'm limited to a
single person, I take even less than allowed. If I don't need it, I
certainly don't want to waste it. I've learned to live simply --- skip some
meals, cook simply, use less dishes, hand wash, clean my plate, recycle
everything.
This has been a NECESSARY EXPERIENCE. It reminds me of my parents telling me about the World War II years of suffering and humility. |
 A
little over two years ago on a very rough entry into Bellingham, I was
stranded here on Christmas day --- my 48th birthday --- at this very
laundromat washing the only items I had, what I wore, while awaiting my
rescue.
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