Far from home

What's a bigger culture shock than traveling to Japan, Europe, or for that matter Timbuktu? East Texas, deep east Texas.  A mere stone's throw from Louisiana.

I landed there when my life became scary. The kind of scary we think about while walking past homeless people on the street. Ever wonder how they got there? It's so easy to put scary people and situations into a category or fit them into a definition that makes us feel like we are safe from it. That's me doing that. I would see a homeless person and put them into one of my box of stereotyped categories; traumatized vets, abused women, drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally ill.

Living from paycheck to paycheck doesn't fit the stereotype. We have back up plans, family if we're lucky, friends we can stay with. Sometimes and more often than not, when things get scary they all back away. After living in my studio for over 30 years I was evicted from my studio as my landlord's son needed a place to live to save money to buy a home.

 That was his back up plan and it's working. I'm happy about that but devastated by my own predicament. I simply had no reserves for such a sudden move. I had 60 days, no money and no one to help me move my stuff. My income stopped as I worked from home. I did have my golden retriever and a truck but barely.

That's how I landed in east Texas, San Augustine to be specific.

~kao