hypothermia

Another homeless man finally found a home.
In heaven or hell.
A friend perished last Friday night due to his lack of a warm place to lay his head.
The sadness continues.
CW was evicted from a local hotel/apartment dwelling a few weeks ago after he found another former homeless man dead in his bed.
A mutual friend Dwayne found CW lying in the woods stiff as a board on Saturday morning.
I talked to CW the day after his eviction.
The property owners would not let him retain the steaks he'd purchased with his food stamps.
And they evicted him because he wasn't listed on the lease.
I feel very saddened by all of this because I knew all three of the aforementioned individuals.
Why?
Sometimes once depression sets in and there seems to be no hope, one drifts into a state of apathy.
I hope somehow awareness will supersede apathy on the part of those who don't care about the homeless.

jobops

Who would believe that a homeless man would be interviewing for a position as an apartment manager?
That should qualify for Ripley's Believe it or not.
A friend recommended for an interview with a local apartment complex mogul.
I'm slated for the interview on Wednesday.
I hope he doesn't delve too much into my recent background of housing and the lack thereof.
The main impact of this scenario is that friends can make a difference in our lives.
Indeed during the recent winter siege friends intervened and permitted me to couch surf or sleep on the floor of their domiciles.
I've had several folks comment about how cold it was this winter. But warm hearts provided relief and comfort.
Thanks to everyone who aided me in my continuing efforts to overcome the elements of nature.
The key to survival no matter your circumstances are friends, God and the love bestowed by caring hearts.

couchsurfing

Many homeless individuals couch surf.
They find a friend who'll let them sleep on their couch until the welcome mat is no longer user friendly.
Some sleep on floors.
That's been my lifestyle recently as newfound friends sympathetically let me sleep on their floor instead of camping out.
The downside to that proposition is when the person gets mad about some petty deal and holds your stuff hostage.
That's what happened to me this weekend.
A guy let me crash on his floor at the Twin Arches motel/apartments.
Then when we started playing pool I permitted another guy to play the winner.
Unfortunately my "friend" got perturbed and knocked the eight ball in on purpose before the rotation and stomped off mad.
I can't arouse him and I'm worried about my stuff.
This is the second time this has happened to me so I'm paranoid about retrieving my belongings.
Then, I read that a trailer which I used to sleep in burned down, so I lost some more of my clothes.
Que sera!

hibernation

Some falsely believe the best way to cope with winter's depressing weather is to hibernate.
Cabin fever ensues.
When a friend loses her spouse she can either cope or mope.
Unfortunately my friend is moping instead of coping.
Or maybe that's really what's she trying to do, cope by mope.
Actually she's hibernating and watching DVDs all day long.
I don't know the cathartic correct response.
All I've really done is provide a heartfelt eulogy and then try and be a friend by being there if she wants to talk.
She's morose and not verbose.
I'm introspective and she's been trying to help me more than I've helped her.
But she's been a darling of a friend with her Aunt Jemima cooking and caring and sharing spirit.
I don't know her motivation but as Sigmund Freund observed, "What does woman want?"
About the only resolution I foresee is when we traverse to Southern Arkansas University on a recruiting trip for her son Courtney Haskell sometime in mid-March.
Hopefully that will fulfill some of her angst.
She's worried about the fruition of what her husband desired.
I know Berry wanted me to accompany them, so that's what Trina wants, too.
Last night she told me I always had a place to stay.
She told me she would help me if she could.
I need to find a job so I can continue to help her with a tidbit of rent money.
Pray for her and help me find the right words to say.

hooray

The Arkansas Razorbacks enjoyed the best of times and the worst of times yesterday.
The Hoops Hogs hogtied the USC Gamecocks with some rock 'em, sock 'em exploits led by Courtney Fortson and Marshawn Powell.
Now they're still the best in the SEC West.
Alas, Ryan Mallett broke a bone in his foot and will miss spring practice.
All is not lost though as Tyler Wilson and the freshman Mitchell and a newbie will receive exclusive reps during spring football.
Mallett seems to be accident prone just working out on his own.
The Lady Razorbacks close their home season tonight and Sunday afternoon.
Then, the Razorbacks don't play at home until 10 days against Vanderbilt.
I'm not sure what's going to transpire for me since I guess I won't be ushering at baseball games.
I've heard that's the toughest sport to be an usher. They only use the old schoolers.
So, I'm going to have to devise a new game plan.

Warm Hearts

Staying warm can be a challenge during the Ice Ages.
But staying warm is a term of relativity.
I may be warm snuggled underneath my Coleman sleeping bag and that's sufficient to survive.
But someone else might feel like it's too cold to sleep in a tent.
It's all a matter of survival.
Yes, this winter I've copped out and stayed in a motel once or twice or thrice and that was probably money wasted when I could've just coped in my Coleman.
Now I'm staying with a friend in Bentonville who has a very warm heart which provides me comfort and joy despite some recent tragedy.
So, staying warm brings on significant meaning in a myriad of ways and means.
We should all be thankful for the company we keep with our friends and neighbors.
Some of my best friends share with me whatever they can spare just because they care.
And they're classified as homeless.
Share and care together brings warmth of body and spirit and hearfelt togetherness ensues.

Consolation

When you're down and out and so confused you need a Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Following the tragic death of my friend Berry Williams I paid tribute to him at a Memorial Service in Bentonville and then at his funeral in Helena.
But now the toughest times are helping his widow Trina.
Her son Courtney Haskell is an awesome running back and was depending on his Dad to travel with him to visit colleges.
Trina and Berry were in a car wreck and their vehicle was totalled out.
Trina is still undergoing therapy and won't make a settlement until she's given a fair amount.
Keep her in your prayers.