have you ever slept in a wal-mart parking lot?

reply to post by Mrgone


No no, you never asked for money I know, and I'm not surprised that you've refused though you're welcome. I will do exactly as you suggest, which is a grand idea and means someone might benefit somehow.

None of us know what's around the corner and I'd like to say thanks for waking me up a little more to this fact in such an enlightened way.

All the best.

reply to post by SpaceshipDipstick




Good to hear. Thanks.

reply to post by Mrgone


I am totally new to posting here, but I couldn't help but feel for your friend with cancer. I too am dirt poor. I can't afford a doctors visit, let alone any kind of treatment. So when I thought I had skin cancer, I had to do something on my own. I'll spare the details other than to say that I had a small bump on my knee which made my whole lower leg hurt. I have two completely cheap things I do that I thought I would share with you so you could tell your friend.

I use food grade hydrogen peroxide. I take several drops everyday. Here's a web page that explains how it works perfectly: drinkh2o2.com... But to sum it up, food grade hydrogen peroxide (not the stuff in the brown bottle which is poison to drink) is something your body produces anyway, and it puts oxygen into your system. Cancer cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment. By the way, I bought a bottle of it for $12 at the health food store which will probably last me 10 years. Oh, and you have to buy a glass eyedropper bottle to use it too.

The other stuff (and I have to use both to stay feeling good - I've tried to stop either one, but whenever I do I go back to feeling bad again) is called Kombucha. Here is a web page that explains how it was found: whatiskombucha.com... It's something that you can make yourself for as cheap as buying tea and sugar. It's basically like making wine, but it makes a kombucha mushroom which you can use again, separate and use for other starters too. Some people think the mushroom is gross, but I love growing things, and since it makes me feel good, I think it's wonderful. Here's a web page on how to brew it: www.thenewhomemaker.com... I found a bottle of kombucha in a local grocery store here, but I'm sure any health food store knows what it is. You take the small goo in the bottom of the bottle and put it in your own jar to start it. You don't have to order starter online. I started my own mushroom from a very small mushroom in the bottle I bought at the store.

I have to be honest now, both of these things taste terrible, but since they make me feel good and cost almost nothing, I have to speak out about them. You sound like a strong person and I'm glad to see you don't have any ideas of giving up. I wish you the best in your climb back out of that dark pit you are in, and I hope your friend can find a cure - any cure - whether she uses these ideas or not. Tell her she doesn't have to give up just because she's poor.

reply to post by zjarla


Thank you so much for that advice. I have never heard of these. I will do some research.

I love alternative choice for ailments.

Originally posted by old_god
reply to post by Mrgone

 

You should write a book on your experiences, call it "Living in a Wal-Mart Car Park"

What a great idea! I'm sure it would be an interesting read.
I've always wanted to do a documentary on Wal mart during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season because we all know that's one crazy place to go during the holidays.But as usual money and time is the problem.
The op sounds like he is in need now,and as I said before the Department of Vetrerans affairs do offer assistance for Vets in dire need.
Your advice is a good one for a long term project and hope someone writes or documents the happenings at Wal Mart during the craziest time of the year.www.va.gov...

reply to post by TWILITE22




So Terri and I have been kicking this around too she has a pretty twisted sense of humor and we came up with two ideas

First is to make the idea of living in a Wal-Mart parking lot into a collection of stories. This will require nothing more than time and a little bit of coffee money for my story tellers. The process will go to local food banks and homeless shelters. I am going to spread anything that comes from this around. Also I was thinking that anyone here that wants to share there experience in the book to PM me the story. We will move forward from there.

The second was to write a memoir for Teri. She has had an unbelievable like and her resilience is part of my own inspiration to do what's right and what's good. She will do interviews with me and then I well finish the book for her. Another poster sent some really great advice on naturopathic remedies. We will be testing how well this works too.

She wants the process to go to the YWCA. She says that she will tell me why when we begin.
So this post is a shout out to all of you who have been there. We want to here your stories. If you don't want to make it a post,please send a PM and we will get this ball filing. On either topic.

Thank you again to all of you who had good above. Tough love. A kind prayer or blessing or just plane positive energy to send.

Thanks to you who took a moment to notice the world around your own neighborhood. And to those who now see things a little differently.

And especially thank you to anyone who might contribute to these projects. We have both decided that even if we can't get a deal with a printing agent that we will put them out as free E-books instead.

I wish ALL of you a blessed day.

Randall.

I certainly hope you are able to find work soon, I personally cant relate to your situation, but I wish I could help none the less. One of the main goals of my life has always been to help others, and one of the most stunning things I have found (especially in recent years), is that its more difficult then one would think to find organizations that will let you simply volunteer with them. Monetary donations always seem to un-personal to me, and I have wanted to contribute by helping build houses, or something more physical, and meaningful. Yet I find it very difficult to find any organizations that do this kind of "ground level" volunteer work.

Emails I send asking to volunteer at organizations to help drug addiction, go unanswered, animal rehabilitation places, don't answer my emails either, and I fail to see why, since I am fairly well written in my emails. It seems like everyone is simply wanting money, and no one is actually wanting people to contribute in a more personal way. This is sadly the way I see our entire social situation deteriorating to, organizations that care little for enacting real change, and simply want to bolster their own agenda.

Either way, I honestly hope you see some better days soon, and if I was in your area/able to provide, I would most certainly give you a place to stay for a while. Best of luck.

reply to post by 007Polytoks




Thank you. I know that you are in a position of frustration as I have been. I too look forward to being a youth mentor in my area using my knowledge. I used to teach martial arts to kids for profit. Some day I hope to do it for non profit. You most likely possess a skill to match your desires. If you can start small. Find a couple of kids a day a week to teach it to. You won't believe how many people,especially people with kids,will turn to you for your knowledge. Do it for free if you can. I think that this might be a missing link in our society.

Regardless of our situations, we still have much to offer. What I have learned in the last week is that nip master what others ate willing to offer us for what they need...we still possess skills that we can pass on that make all of our lives better.

PM me if you want to and tell me what your god at. Regardless of my current situation, I still feel that we may have a way to improve our communities.

I wish you the best of luck.

Cheers.

What it was like to be a squatter.


I mentioned some time ago that I would write about my experience squatting. It was a very nerve wracking time. Even though I wasn't ashamed of my situation, I had to behave as though I was just the same

You see, when you squat in an abandoned place you could end up very unlucky. No electricity no heat. Maybe even dangerous people around. I had it pretty good though. I was staying in an abandoned condo that had been foreclosed on. In our area the trend of turning crappy apartments into "condos" for selling to low income families started about seven years ago.

I once lived in a run down place that was converting the buildings one at a time. Ours would be last.

We watched as each condo was completed and the for sale signs would go up. I could not believe that people were buying them for around 250k. I hated the place and it was full of gang banners and drug dealers. That's not exaggeration. In time we had to move and I was thankful. They gave us first option to buy the place ad we laughed out loud in front of the realtor. Who would waste money on paying to own a percentage of a building when your neighbor could burn the place down? Or flood it because they had a leak and didn't know how to fix it?

This place was no different. The last owner was no handy man. Things were in disrepair but they worked. Hot water, a stove, fridge, toilet, there was even a desk and decent office chair. No bed but I didn't mind the floor. With all of that came solutions that need to be discovered

I made it a habit not to turn on the lights at night. Didn't want a neighbor or grounds person noticing me. I walk around quite as can be as if my parents were sleeping and I was trying to sneak a cookie. I tried not to cook anything too smelly. I tried to leave during hours when no one was around. I came back at different times and approached from a different direction as to confuse anyone who may be curious as to which place was mine. Basically, I was the perfect neighbor.

When you have to hide in plain sight you begin to feel a little ashamed of your place. All the people around me may have made a poor purchasing choice in my opinion, but at least they had a place. Some of them are loud. Some smell the place up when they cook. Some are rude with their car stereos but for the most part the place isn't too messed up.

One time in the middle of the day I heard someone yelling at the top of their lungs for help. Knowing I could blow my cover I went to investigate. Two woman were standing on their deck smoking and I asked them if they heard he screams. They pointed at another deck nearby and said that the kid inside plays video games and screams like that into his Xbox live headset. Feeling stupid for poking my nose in I turned and went back to the place I was statying in. Luckily,they paid me no more attention.

Since the day I had to leave I have missed the place but it had somehow become a self feeding loop of solitude and non production. Sneaking, hiding, evading. These things kept me from being able to be more productive. It was quiet but it was a roof. Whom ever had been paying for the electricity n the place, I wish them a good couple of days of fortune. They paid for my comfort and I am grateful.

I had another old friend offer up his home office if Teri needs to move out of this one. It is a nice offer but the property is 30 miles from anything useful. Good thing is that he's a state trooper so I know I'm in a safe place if that happens. He joked that my payment could be to marry his wife's sister so that she could stay in the states. I asked if she was good looking. He said she could cook. Somehow that's not the same in my book.

So here we are, still jobless but no longer homeless thanks to friends. Of course friends will be there for you but when you can't guarantee how long until you can be productive, it's hard to accept. Now I am even more determined to get something going. No one wants to be a burden. So I'll make myself useful for the bed I have.

Cheers

reply to post by Mrgone
I've always wondered about the people at Wal-mart.Who are they?What's their story?
Where do they come from?They are from all walks of life,from ethnicity,rich or poor. I mean seriously who doesn't shop at Wal-Mart?
My first suggestion is a least in the southeastern U.S,you'll find husbands that sit on the benches and people watch while their wives shop.I'm sure they would be a wealth of information.Also maybe you could put some flyers up asking people for interviews about their experiences there.

I'm positve,if it's written as a serious piece with a touch of humor as well as your viewpoint from experience I believe you will have a best seller. I'm sure we are not the only ones curious about this subject.

Good luck with the project and keep us posted on your progress.

If I find any interesting local stories I'll send them to you.

btw have you found a place to live yet?

reply to post by TWILITE22




Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I have a friend's couch for know she lives in town so I am still able to easily get around to job services like the VA and work source. She has cancer and she will leave this place soon to stay at her brother's so when that happens I have a state patrol friend who offered me his home office. Awesome but he lives far from my job resources. I will make it work if I have to.

I like the flyer idea. I wasn't sure how to approach people sitting in their cars without seeming creepy. Thanks again.

Cheers

I was reading about your friend with the cancer,and I also have a hope for her from my personal experience of a friend who used a potent natural inexpensive cure.
I put the link here that she can read it and hopefully it will help her.
www.healingcancernaturally.com/mms-chlorine-dioxide-treatment.html

and the inventors site - humblemiraclemineral.com/
My friends father was diagnosed with cancer and given not long to live. 5 years later he was still alive thanks to
taking this natural potent cure.

I am in Australia and I am blessed that I dont experience the suffering of being homeless and/or no free medical
for the most dire medical situations.
I feel for your journey and the journey of your friend,and I hope with all my heart, that the will of your spirit and hers will carry you both back to peace and a blessed life.

reply to post by 1959bean




Thank you very much.

I've slept outside of my highschool before, about a year ago. Also, I was homeless with my mom for about a month when I was fourteen, living in her car. I'm only 19, so it's not the exact situation, but I can empathize a little bit. Hell, right now my fiance and I are really struggling trying to afford food while we save up for a car. Things are rough.

Still, it always gets better. We get by, and sometimes our friends will randomly buy us something at Taco Bell. Little things like that make my day. It always gets worse and worse, then it gets better and better. Over and over, all the time. Just gotta keep going and never give up.

Just keep yourself cool, do what you know you need to do, and enjoy the little things. That's the trick.

God bless

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX




Thank you and good luck with your car. I have been humbled by some recent angels.

You are right about the little things.

Cheers.

reply to post by Mrgone


Shot in the dark here, have you considered being a bouncer at a Strip Club? When times are hard to le club I go...
Especially working night shifts you get tips and plenty of T&A to look at Hell some even have a tv and stay open till 4am.

reply to post by kittyfatale


That is a Damn fine idea. I have recently applied for such things as Head Start Program Teacher Aide, Nude figure Model for a local University, Substitute School Bus Driver, Tire Store Manager, Graphic Design. I hadn't considered that one.

I'll let you know what comes of it.


Thanks for the fresh idea

Mrgone
I followed your thread for a long time..I was wondering if you ever found another job or a place to live has your situation changed for the better? would love a update if you don't mind..peace,sugarcookie1

Yes I have actually. And, while I surely feel for ya (if you were around here I would try to help you, are you nearby to Seattle or Tacoma at all? PM me), I can only tell you this situation is temporary. If it was temporary for me (G.E.D. no degree, several problems with addictions in my time, but very giving and kind, which is all that matters) then surely it is temporary for you, too. Think of it as a gift. You will later. God is giving you a chance to see firsthand how so many of his children live. In fact you are living in luxery right now buddy! You'll realize this all later and it will motivate you to do wonderful and amazing things... Why does this have to happen to such a good person? God wouldn't waste a gift like this on just anyone!

I finally came back here and read my original post. It was no small task.

I don't have it in my heart to read the responses that followed. I know that no one is following this thread anymore and I just wanted to say to those of you who had kind words to say back then how grateful I am. Although I can't bring myself to read them now I have a fond memory of all of you encouraging me to stay cool. It was a rough couple of years.

I'm not gonna lie, I put the barrel to my head. I went back to drinking, I sat in the quiet wondering why I was being such a P about ending my life so that I would no longer burden my kids. I am here to tell you that I am so glad that I stuck it out. I may have lost everything but eventually I rounded the bend.

I have been employed for two years and am now engaged to a wonderful woman. Long story short, I am good.

But again I say to those of you that encouraged me along the way...You made a difference. I bow to all of you who were kind.

sincerely,

G