Day 2 At The Shelter

Day 2 at the shelter is in the books and I continue to learn new things about what it is to not have the luxuries I have in life. Let me give you the run down on the day.

My morning started as it usually does, I opened my eyes to Caleb and a big smile telling me I needed to get my butt in gear so we could go to breakfast. I lifted myself out of bed, stretching my stiff back and tried to make sense out of my surroundings. I have been having dreamless sleep since I got here. Not sure if it is just a side effect of my new surroundings or if it is something else.

Breakfast was the usual selection, you could have cold cereal, eggs and bacon or oatmeal. There was toast, juice and coffee too. The food is not what I am used too but it is not as bad as I initially expected it to be. The good news is that it is hot and good for me so what more could I ask for.

I had my choice of things to do during the day today so I opted to go to a full day class on healthy living and choices. I learned about why I should choose to avoid drugs, prostitution, petty theft, and other illegal things. I also learned that finding a stable home environment and learning to cook and fend for myself was paramount. I also learned that getting educated and finding meaningful work would be good for me. All in all, I took a lot away from that class. I wanted to spend the day with Caleb but he goes to a program for recovering addicts and it is not open to anyone else. I am really happy for him, he genuinely seems to want to turn his life around which I think is a great thing.

By dinner time I had met up with my buddy and he introduced me to some of his friends. T.J, Jewel, and Marcus. The 4 of them and I spent most of the evening playing cards and talking. We talked about each others situation, how we got to where we are now and what we are planning to do to get things back on track. They listened to my story about how I was once deaf and how I was now battling Cancer. The cool thing is that they do not pity me. They don’t judge either and I don’t judge them. Am I being scammed, played or whatever you wanna call it? I don’t know. Maybe. But I try to think that their friendship is genuine. They seem like really nice people who simply found themselves in bad situations. T.J’s mother is a prostitute who refuses to acknowledge he is alive. Jewel comes from a household of drunks who like to beat on her and Marcus is another recovering heroin addict.

I admire their strength and their willingness to accept that they need to take action and do something about their situations. I think it takes tremendous courage to step up and do something. They no longer want to be victims of their circumstances and I find that encouraging. It gives me the strength I need to fight the good fight.

By the end of the night I had 3 more friends and we were all laughing, and sharing. I like to think I brought some sense of normal to the table. I also like to think that I brought love and a genuine desire to help.

It was probably closer to midnight before Caleb and I went to bed. As is our new custom, he gave me a hug and wished me a good night. I did the same for him. I don’t know that I can explain it but something just feels different when I spend time with him and when he hugs me. I don’t know how to explain it, its not something I have felt before and yet it feels so very natural to me. Maybe I will understand as time goes by but for now, I will just go with it.

Until tomorrow…

LiveSTRONG!