Unhoused Misfit: introduction
I’ve been talking about this for weeks and it’s finally done.
In the previous iteration of my Earthbound Misfit substack, I had begun telling the story of how I went homeless last year. Then I took a good hard look at how I was doing things there and decided to start over. But I meant to come back to this and tell the story anyway.
I don’t have a real plan for how to lay it out. If I just tell it in chronological order, it’s bound to get bogged down in extraneous detail, because I don’t get to talk enough in person and I’m afraid I make up for it with my keyboard. Nobody is going to keep track of the timeline anyway. Though I might set up a sort of index eventually in case I get the occasional weirdo who does care about that. I won’t, but if I did. I’ll let you know if that happens.
And here’s the thing? Yes, I was homeless twice last year. That wasn’t the first time I was ever homeless. I know the government’s definition but as far as I’m concerned, if your name’s not on a lease or mortgage, homeless is you. I don’t make the rules. Someone is just putting up with you being in their space. That could all end tomorrow. You have no protection. You are not safe.
We all contribute to society, even if only as a warning. Let me be your warning. You ladies out there especially. You ladies out there thinking you’ve got a Prince Charming meal ticket, especially especially.
Before we go into this, a few points:
-I’m not a drug addict and have never been one except for a physical addiction to caffeine.
-I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression, but never been so far gone I didn’t basically know what was going on around myself.
-No criminal record. Last time I got a ticket was in 1999 and that was the only speeding ticket I’ve ever had. I’ve only had one other and it was for an expired plate about two years before that. Clean record otherwise. Deservedly. They say we each break an average of four laws a day, but I’ve never been the sort to start serious shit.
-I’ve had friends, been married, raised kids, held employment. I’ve done the functioning-as-an-adult thing. It is not foreign to me. I miss it, in fact. A lot.
Just want to make sure we don’t go into this with you making the same stupid assumptions about me that everyone makes about homeless people. Cool? Cool.
More soon.
P.S. Everyone who subscribes to my main substack is also subscribed to this, and also to the other section, Gender Atheist. I figure most of you won’t mind. Breaks up the daily-diary monotony, amirite?