Day 9

Being homeless sucks! But at least I had some practice on my walk from Tampa to Texas. There are differences of course. Everyday is more of the same and I find my spirits becoming more and more downtrodden. 

I'm homeless not because of drugs or alcohol or any other common vice, but because I made some bad decisions. 

My walk took me to Texas and after the puma incident, I just couldn't go on. So after 1200 miles and 2.5 million steps, I ended up in a slightly better place than in which I started. But not by any means the place I needed. 

I ended up working in a call center, and saving money. Problem was, and in a way still is; I have no tolerance for being somewhere that makes me miserable. So I bought a bus ticket to Asheville NC, and laid everything in God's hands, that hopeful serendipity. But after getting there, I realized that living in a tent at this time of year was a bad idea. And as serendipity didn't make an appearance I made plans without a relying on the gods and their fickle fancies. 

I knew that I needed someplace warm to start over, as I would likely be tenting it, so decided on Florida. Though I have family here, I didn't want to impose, I did that once last year and kinda shamed about it. After all, what did I do with all the help, but sell everything to walk across the country. No, its either sink or swim, and on my own.

So after getting off the bus I found a spot for the night. Then found a 24 hour gym and got a membership so I could shower regularly.  Now it's been 9 days and I'm only treading water. 

I've looked for work but only casually. But I expect in the next few days that will change. I'm running low on funds and though I was able to get food stamps, I know if I don't start working towards my future soon, I may get lost in the blandness and stop struggling to stay afloat at all.