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So I’m a bit jetlagged after coming back from the mainland. It’s not so much the time difference since it was a short enough trip that I never really got off Hawaii Time. But it is the stress of travel, plus coming back to an uncertainty level that is both familiar, yet daunting. However, I did enjoy the trip to family and friends, but time to get back to re-shaping a life here.

Of course that means re-establishing a rhythm with being un-homed. That means preparing the mind for the shower cycle, the food choices, any laundry that needs doing, and where to go to have some quiet time. Though I was only gone for a short while, I was in other environments that gave me that taste of not needing to worry as much. For example, I didn’t have to wonder how cold the shower would be.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a bit of a letdown. There are several stressors in my life that I’m coming back to, and I needed the first day back to rest up and reintegrate. Though the park was lovely in the morning it was all very discombobulating and not a total solution. I couldn’t think of what needed to be done before getting back to work, and I couldn’t decide whether to sit in one spot or go mobile.

So I ended up wandering around a while until I ended up at Coffee Talk. They have a little side room that has an electrical outlet, and usually only one person sits in there at a time. It’s as close to hibernating as possible while still being able to do some writing and a semblance of work. I got lucky that there wasn’t anyone else there and parked for a few hours.

For the most part it’s good to be back. I met another un-homed guy who regularly parks by the Natatorium. He mentioned the increasing pressures to move, and I assume this may be ripple effects of the Governor’s plans. One thing was nice in that he put me on his prayer list. He asked what I needed, but I honestly couldn’t think what to specify. There are so many things and yet I told him that I didn’t want to presume where this all goes. So any prayer he might offer was accepted with gratitude.

This is the kind of moment I keep referring to when I say that people should deal with us in human terms: moments of simple dignity and appreciation without pre-judgment.

Previous posts in this series:

• My Life as a Pigeon
• Beginnings
• On the Road — But Not in Hawaii
• Cash Flow
• How Do You Spot An “Un-homed?”
• Nap Time On The Road
• A Funny Thing Happened…
• A Governor’s Decision
• Trying to Stay Clean
• Pity or Compassion
• Best Friends Forever… or For a While
• Going with the Flow
• Milestones
• Anger Paralysis
• Timing Is Everything
• It’s All Relative
• Riding Heartbreak
• The Courage Needed
• Bartering Along
• Getting Swept Away… Almost
• Neglect
• Small Measures of Success
• The Interior Life
• I Miss My Bed
• My Closet Has a Flat Tire
• Hopes and Dreams
• Homeless Are People, Too
• Full Monty or Not?
• Back Seat Office
• Staying Connected
• Those Small Indignities
• Putting Your Life in Storage
• One Step Forward, One Step Back
• Exciting New Career Opportunities
• End of the Day
• Solutions Wanted
• When to Hold On, Let Go?
• Location, location, location
• Range of Motion
• Food More Than Sustenance
• Figuring It All Out Someday
• Solitude
• The Good, The Bad
• From The Heart
• Does Anyone Really See Me?
• Keeping Perspective
• Showers at the Natatorium
• Achieving Homelessness