I used to be homeless in Dallas. Yeah, seriously. It was tough, but it was fun. It taught me a lot about a lot, but mostly it was just hot. I mean, it is Texas after all.
But after the summer, it got extremely cold. There was an ice storm and everything! I bet you didn’t know that about Dallas, did you? Yeah, that was news to me too; I didn’t even come with a coat.
Any-who, that’s one of the many little things about being homeless. You spend so much time getting close to things you never noticed before — like the patterns of the sun (and the shade), or which train stops have bathrooms, and what McDonald’s have the hottest fries. Your antennas are always up, because they have to be — you’re homeless.
Now, by homeless, I just mean I didn’t have a place in Dallas to call my own. Though I spent many days roaming the streets at odd hours of the night, thankfully there were couches, and empty offices, and cars, and floors, and even some beds along the way that got the job done. So to say “homeless” would be a bit heavy-handed, I suppose; let’s just say I was home… less.
Whew… Now, where was I? Oh yeah — learning.
As a home less person in Dallas, I learned a lot about a lot.
I learned lessons in friendship and leadership; love and lust. I honed my cooking skills and my character. I learned how to spot a rye from a bourbon, celebrated my first Juneteenth, and even started playing dominoes. It was, in many accounts, a 2nd childhood for me. A childhood void of a home, but a 2nd childhood nonetheless.
Anyway, it showed me that both success and failure are truly imposters and that earning your stripes is even harder when you have nothing to lose.
I learned that most of the skills we really need in life — like kindness, curiosity, and always trying your best — we learned in kindergarten.
I saw just how far a question like “would you like half of my sandwich?” can take a relationship, and the many ways you can make use of a big red couch.
Oh, and I wasn’t alone either — all of my friends were home less too! You’ll learn more about them later, I have a bunch of stories. However, the moral of this one is that being home less in Dallas isn’t much different than not being homeless in Dallas, or any other city. In some ways, we’re all home less whether we realize it or not.
Adversity is everywhere, and it’s when the stakes are the highest that your truest self shines the brightest.
So with that said, let’s journey through this book of fables. Some are fast and others are funny. Some are informative and inspirational, but most of them are just flat out weird.
Because being home less is weird…. especially in Dallas. You’ll see.
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