On Being Homeless
Let me tell you about the time in my life where I found myself homeless with a one year old baby.
I had been in a relationship with a man who became increasingly violent to the point where I had to flee for my life. I packed up everything that I owned, stored it in a friends basement, got on a bus to Montreal with my one year old baby, and checked into a shelter. I had a stroller, a diaper bag, a backpack, and a beautiful, handmade wool crazy quilt. That quilt was heavy.
Every night, I would spread that quilt out on our bed in the shelter, and it became home. The thing was, I brought beauty with me to a place that was drab, and a bit scary. That quilt was a testament to the strength and the perseverance that I had in me. It took me two years to hand embroider each seam, and when it was finished, I rolled it up, strapped it onto my backpack, and took my life back.
It was a process where I took the time to work on me. When I was settled in my own apartment and on Family Assistance, I worked on myself through group therapy, individual therapy and through meditation. I felt like there were little pieces of Debby shattered all over the floor, and I picked up each of these pieces, one at a time, and examined them. I discovered that some of the pieces of Debby were valuable, pieces that I really liked and wanted to keep. Conversely, some of those shattered pieces had lost there shine or had never had value in the first place. I envisioned myself saying goodbye to those pieces. They had served me well at one point in my life, but there was no room for them in the new version of me that I was creating. Debby 2.0.
That one year old baby is 26 years old now, and my life is very different, but occasionally I still take the time to examine and reflect, and occasionally to say goodbye to things in my life that are no longer working for me.
I had been in a relationship with a man who became increasingly violent to the point where I had to flee for my life. I packed up everything that I owned, stored it in a friends basement, got on a bus to Montreal with my one year old baby, and checked into a shelter. I had a stroller, a diaper bag, a backpack, and a beautiful, handmade wool crazy quilt. That quilt was heavy.
Every night, I would spread that quilt out on our bed in the shelter, and it became home. The thing was, I brought beauty with me to a place that was drab, and a bit scary. That quilt was a testament to the strength and the perseverance that I had in me. It took me two years to hand embroider each seam, and when it was finished, I rolled it up, strapped it onto my backpack, and took my life back.
It was a process where I took the time to work on me. When I was settled in my own apartment and on Family Assistance, I worked on myself through group therapy, individual therapy and through meditation. I felt like there were little pieces of Debby shattered all over the floor, and I picked up each of these pieces, one at a time, and examined them. I discovered that some of the pieces of Debby were valuable, pieces that I really liked and wanted to keep. Conversely, some of those shattered pieces had lost there shine or had never had value in the first place. I envisioned myself saying goodbye to those pieces. They had served me well at one point in my life, but there was no room for them in the new version of me that I was creating. Debby 2.0.
That one year old baby is 26 years old now, and my life is very different, but occasionally I still take the time to examine and reflect, and occasionally to say goodbye to things in my life that are no longer working for me.
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