Thank You For Ending Homelessness: part 1

My pace may not be that of others...
yet, it is what gets me...
everywhere.

I'm still writing 50K words on homelessness this month in my personal challenge to myself during NaNoWriMo 2012.

Today, that set of words took another path. Or road. Or train of thought. … Or whatever word you like to use for a stunning turnaround.

Over the last 8 days, I've been asking myself, “what do I want my world to know about homelessness?”

One of the primary answers is, “I want people to know … no, not just to know … to KNOW! To feel, to believe, to realize, to be aware we are all a part of making homelessness an issue of the past -- to end homelessness.”

“Okay, self … how can I do that?”

Further on "How do you perceive Homelessness?"

Yes, moi on the Dun-Dun at my 5?th birthday party
Celebrate my upcoming 58th with me
by giving a smile to someone around you.

Be forewarned, this word count does not go toward my personal challenge to write 50,000 words on homelessness for NaNoWriMo 2012.  The words in this post, however, are extremely important, none-the-less to thoughts on homelessness and how you perceive yourself and others.  No matter what part of the road of homelessness you happen to be on, or off.

The words you are going to read have not been written by me.

Familiar with S. I. Hayakawa?  or read another of his bio's here.

His book. "Language in Thought and Action" (Hayakawa, S. I., and Alan R. Hayakawa. Language in Thought and Action: Fifth Edition. 5th ed. Harvest Original, 1991.) is where the excerpted words come from.

It's difficult to be a part of social media and not know, know of, or be acquainted with MAD MEN (The term "Madison Avenue" is often used metonymically for advertising, and Madison Avenue became identified with the American advertising industry after the explosive growth in this area in the 1920s.  -- cited from “Madison Avenue.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, November 5, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madison_Avenue&oldid=515450380.)

I'd like you to consider "The Story of A-Town and B-Ville:  A Semantic Parable" from the panorama of any social injustice you support, crusade against, advocate for those experiencing it.  For me, today, the vista I'm viewing it from is homelessness.  I find it particularly poignant, because as a person experiencing homelessness during the month of January 2011, I spent my nights in the local National Guard Armory on a cot with 199 other people sleeping out of the elements, as part of the then available "Winter Shelter."

Homelessness is more than simply being without shelter

What is homelessness?

It's been a couple of days since my last post. What is your answer to “what is homelessness?”

What do you feel, think, believe?

I feel, think, and believe that homelessness is much more than simply being without adequate shelter.

Let me tell you I was totally surprised to find on the web phrasing that is somewhat akin to the way I perceive homelessness. To give you a means of exploring what I think and feel, I'm linking to the article (go to the middle of the page and read “Another definition of homelessness – by people who experience it):

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/community/homelessnessservices/InformationKitForVolunteers/Module1/WhatIsHomelessness.asp

...that “knocked my socks off” (all puns intended when you think of socks and those experiencing street homelessness)

Source: flickr.com via Invisible People on Pinterest

When you were pondering about homelessness what images, scenes, types of people, scents, and reactions flowed through your mind?  

How do you get help if you are homeless - Part 1

This is Part 1
More Parts to locating help
will be forthcoming
If you are seeking help at this moment,
go here (NCH) to get started;
or to WAV here on Twitter
or WAV here on Facebook
NCH will point you to help
WAV will point you to community

What would you do if you knew you were going to be homeless on a certain date?

What would you do if you didn't know you were going to be homeless, and suddenly found yourself so, turning from one minute to the next?

Is it possible? You bet.

Who would you contact? What arrangements would you try to make? What would you take with you? Who would you tell? Who would you not tell? What would you think of yourself?

Today on the internet, there is much more information available to those who are experiencing homelessness.

This is a huge difference from 2010.

How To: Change A World

This post as with all my posts in November, 2012
is the direct output of a birthday challenge to myself
during NaNoWriMo 2012.
50,000 words on homelessness

The symptom I am choosing to focus on is homelessness – you can pick any social ill – they are all interrelated.

If you are not asking yourself the following questions – be you a person experiencing the symptom by:

being homeless;
being a service provider;
being curious;
being a change agent;
being an advocate; or
being a bystander –

if you are not asking yourself the following questions, you are not effecting as much change in transforming a world as you could.

If change or transformation is not your goal – stop reading here.

Change Yourself, Change the World

My gosh!
This is when that shirt wasn't faded!
Must be ... uhm ...
20 years ago?
How have I changed?

Being ensconced in shelters, food banks, poverty assistance programs, as a user;

Observing the same systems as an advocate;

Pondering the systems I was brought up in, or, more truthfully had to survive through from infancy thru major portions of adulthood;

As my voice grows to its full timber, character, and expression, I find myself looking for ways-and-means to alter ... transform ... change what I perceive to be unhealthy, unbalanced, and not-working in my communities.

My strongest belief is "if I keep doing things the same way, expecting different results, I am crazy-making."

A question that occurs, is "How many times do you try something before concluding it's crazy-making?"

Did You Ask Yourself "What do I believe?"

So! What questions have you been asking yourself about your beliefs?

What beliefs did you examine?

What did you discover about why you came to believe things?

I promised you some of my answers so we can play this game together.

I believed I knew where I was going with this when I started the first piece oh so many weeks ago.

Paths to Change: Homelessness, Poverty, and Abuse.

The most important event in my life …  being homeless.

The crowd hushes.  Murmuring abounds. 

Where in the undercurrent rumblings do your murmurs fall?

• “Did she really just say that?”
• “How pathetic, the most important event in her life is/was being homeless?” 
• “What?
• Being born wasn’t eventful?
• Having significant others wasn’t eventful?  Working wasn’t eventful? 
• Giving birth wasn’t eventful?”

• “You’ve got to be kidding! Of everything in your life and you feel being homeless is/was the most important event?"
• "Shameful!” 
• "What does she mean?"

Rd smiles mirthfully, raises her hands to quiet the crowd, nods, and the talk begins…

Fixing Symptoms Does Not Fix the Problem

Health (physical, mental, emotional, spirit) in the body or in social structures is not made better by fixing symptoms.

Circumstances place me in a situation where I can choose to bemoan, misery-ize, and just plain rant; or I can follow my own talk and choose how to make the circumstances bring about my goals.

All right --
after physical movement calculated to change my position, or posture if you will;
breathing to calm, quiet and relax every aspect of me;
and referring to previous creative praises of me (yep, had to resort to outside intervention in this one! ::grin:: )

-- I am now ready to sally forth.

I can do *that*!

If you are a:

• social services provider,
• advocate,
• teacher,
• parent,
• friend,
• educator,
• trainer,
• workshop facilitator,
• motivational facilitator,
• life coach,
• any kind of coach,
• volunteer,
• fundraiser,
• leader of any sort ....

...this is what you want your clients, audience, followers, and life associates to say to themselves,

"I can do that!"

Mitakuye Oyasin -- i remember ye

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifing rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.





poem source

What are you celebrating?

Whew!

Sometimes it is tuff keeping in focus.

I'm wildly flailing for my sword-in-the-stone.

Yesterday had some sweet moments and some horrid moments.

The upshot of it all is today it's a bit more effort on my part to pick up and go on.

Another day it will be easier.  Today?

Well, this morning I do a number of things to recognize, deal with, and move on, from the horrid moments. 

What can you afford to eat?

Homeless without a refrigerator?  With limited or no means to cook?  With limited or no funding to procure food?

Even with it's low-cost and ease of concocting, this won't help my peers still on the streets, unless I cook it for them.

However, it's much needed -- not only by my street peers but for folks like me who are low- and below-poverty-income.  So if you volunteer at a shelter by bringing in food, consider that all it takes to bring in fresh produce is:  awareness, judicious shopping, and willingness to spend your love in the time it takes to prepare/transport/serve.

Surprise!  It's also beneficial for those who are not in an income crunch.

The dish I outline here is called "what do I do with the stuff I could afford to buy?" sauce and entree/sidedish.

May I? (cool activities near LA in May)

Heartbroken not to be going to Ren Faire yet again, this year due to lack of funds, especially with the BudWeiser Clydesdales being there this Saturday, May 5 ONLY from 1-3pm --

HOWEVER!

There are other places for those of us with little- to no-coin in our pockets!

And to these I will be going.  This is the first month I'll be participating in a number of things, despite the silliness of my darned CFS symptoms.  Whoot!  See ya there?


For instance:

VAWA - Violence Against Women Act , 2012

Victims of violence and abuse deserve protection--regardless of their ethnicity, immigration status or sexual orientation. Let your congress-person know you want the Violence Against Women Act passed!

Violence and Abuse is not gender specific.
Violence and Abuse is not culturally specific.
Violence and Abuse is not to be tolerated.

Because the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) has language regarding same-sex partners, illegal immigrant escapers from abuse, and empowering American-Indian tribal authorities to prosecute abuses alleged to have happened on their reservations, it has become a "hot-item".

Homelessness, Family Well-Being & Youth Empowered for Success @sfcla

This is @sfcla's logo.
I've borrowed it from their site

Respect.  Non-judgmentalism (one of the few -isms I support! ::grin:: )  Helping each person create their full potential.

These are things that I look for.  In my actions and words towards others.  In their actions and words towards me.  And in organizations I feel you need to know about.

If you haven't met them, I want you to take a moment and read St. Francis Center's "About Us" web page.  Then go take a look at their Services page.  "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- Saint Francis of Assisi

On the twitter stream, you can find them at:

https://twitter.com/#!/sfcla

This is their FaceBook page:

http://www.facebook.com/sfcla

8 Simple Things You Can Do To #MakeADifference in the world, today.

In no specific order:

1)  Go smile at someone.  Anyone.  In fact ... do something drastic:  smile at EVERYone you see or think about today.


2)  Spread this thought:  "Nothing is so contagious as an example.  We never do great good or great evil without bringing about more of the same on the part of others."  Francois de La Rochefaucauld


3)  Peruse Kickstarter.com -- just look, you don't have to give anything.  Read about the many ways to Fund & Follow Creativity!



4)  Go spend some time exploring JustCoz.org; pick a cause to donate a tweet a day.



5)  Consider this possibility:  "An entirely new system of thought is needed, a system based on attention to people, and not primarily attention to goods ..."   E. F. Schumacher



6)  Re-read Desiderata.  Ponder it.  Here's a few links to get you started: http://www.fleurdelis.com/desiderata.htm or  http://strider333.blogspot.com/2005/10/desirada.html or read what I find to be an interesting set of thoughts on it: http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm


7)  Add your Vote today and once a day until the 28th of March here: http://www.youtube.com/nonprofitvideoawards?x=us_showcase_4653_50 to help my street peers and to give a chance to bring Robert's story to @YouTube's homepage by having it win a DoGooder award! 



8)  Breathe.

8a) Now ... take that a step further, whenever you are in a state of tension, anger or distress of any kind today, especially when you are kept waiting ... breathe and focus for a few moments only on your breathing.  The sound or silence of it.  The inbreath.  The exhale.  The slowness or fastness of it.  How many complete breaths you participate in during one minute.

Then return to whatever it is you are doing along with your breathing, letting your breath subside once again into the rhythm of your day.

Don't have orange 3D glasses?

In the midst of all the racket and row that contribute to the circumstances of our lives -- it is our heart vision that ultimately defines how we perceive things.


Yesterday was a chef d'oeuvre.

#ArtNightPasadena -- March 9, 2012 6-10pm WHOOT!

ArtNightPasadena logo

Tonight is gonna be blazin'!

12 venues in Pasadena (13 if you count the City Hall Transportation Hub) will be sending FREE vibes throughout the city!

If you are in or near the area it's so-o-o-o-o-o-o worth your time!

Find out about the event here:

www.artnightpasadena.org

Tweet much?  Then send word to your friends with this hashtag!

#ArtNightPasadena

On Facebook?  Well, like, check them out here!

https://www.facebook.com/artnightpasadena

Join in the Awe and the Fun!

Apprenticeship on the Streets - Invisible People

Being an apprentice is an excellent way for me to learn.  It gives me time to repeat experiences and absorb them.  I'm fortunate in that one of the non-profit foundations I believe in and support heavily is now facilitating what I call an "Apprenticeship Program."  I'm taking advantage of that, and have enrolled as an apprentice.

::preens:: You could call me an "early adopter" in the program.  ::chortle::

Had the opportunity to share stories on the street yesterday.  Not something that happens for me often, since my health imposes a few more limits on me than I like at the moment.

I want to share a bit of those stories with you.

What would help you get through this moment?

Graphic copyright JaguarWoman
purchased use rights by Rd Plasschaert
purchased long ago, doncha think it's gorgeous?

I find it sometimes overwhelming to be on the listening end to so many people that are:

having difficulty getting disability benefits from “our social system” when they are disabled;

having difficulty getting housed;

having difficulty getting fed;

having difficulty being treated with respect, love and non-judgmental encouragement.

The overwhelm is not from listening, it's from my feelings of "what can I do?".

So this is a reminder to me, and perhaps encouragement to you …

You are ...

This is floating around Facebook walls,
I don't know who created it:
but kudos to them!
And yeah, I'd have said,
"Holy Joie de Vivre Batman!"
not "Holy Shit",
yet still -- it's a great pinup!

You are important.

You have value.

You have worth.

You make a difference.

You are inherently significant.

Three questions for you:

1) Do you say these things to your self?

 

2) Do you say these things to the people around you?

3) What if you did … and meant it?

THANK YOU skip1.org and Shelene Bryan

All right ... I wanted to have a lot more done for today.  It's not gonna happen.  This is a time when I truly wish I had already transformed the danged CFS symptoms that have made a visit to my life.

Today is a very special day for me.

For a number of reasons.

It's Groundhog Day.
It's a seasonal day of celebration for a number of disciplines and belief systems.

As a Shaman this day is the time in the season cycles of the known world where I celebrate the hidden potentialities that are transformed into the visible.

A youngster in me celebrates "National Baby Clam Day" which I always declare on 2/2.  You have to have grokked BC or was it Pogo (dang I cannot remember which one it is right now) in the days of newspaper daily black and white and Sunday colorful comics.

And a huge reason I wanted to have accomplished more for today (ie. the re-vamping of my website -- not yet accomplished to include my current goals and endeavors; a homemade graphic, video and spoken word piece that haven't yet manifested) is to say the THANK YOU I am using this blogpost for.

What's in a Title?

My calling card

     I have searched for 14 months for the means in which I may contribute to making things visible and feel whole, creative and balanced while doing it.

It’s been an interesting road.

What freedom! What joy! What … oh my stars and garters, what confusion!