Day 5 - The Upperclass of the Mobile Homeless

Last night, I parked in an old neighborhood where cars can park on the street without a parking sticker or the threat of towing. I made a good judgment call. There were plenty of cars parked on the street. Mine blended right in. I climbed in the back seat and quickly laid down so no one would see me sitting there in the back seat. The sidewalk is far enough from the street that I don’t have to worry about people looking in accidentally.

One thing I didn’t anticipate – there were tons of kids walking to the bus stop when I woke up. Fortunately, they were wrapped up in their devices or talking to each other that they didn’t seem to notice me. It was a good place to park, but I need to leave out ½ hour earlier and park on the other side of the street where fewer kids passed by. 

When I woke up it was chilly, and I expected that. It's very important to check weather reports if you're going to live in your car. However, I DIDN’T EXPECT my heat to be busted, too. I busted the condensor and radiator in my car 3 weeks ago. I knew that meant no AC. I can go without AC, but not heat. I’m begging to get sick if I don’t have heat in the wintertime. I hope God fixes it without me needing to spend money.

One another note, this thought came to me today: I must be in the upper class of mobile homeless. First, I’m very blessed to have a job. Many mobile homeless are homeless because they are out of work. Second, I have a storage unit. I’m not driving around with a junked up car - looking homeless. Third, I’m a teacher. I have a whole classroom and cabinet space to keep things - not just a locker, like on a factory job. Some jobs give you no place to keep your things. In my classroom, I can keep food (perishable or refrigerated). There's a microwave, a phone, computers with Internet access, privacy (my door locks and my classroom is not in a main area of the building). The teacher bathrooms are one-unit, so if I need to wash up one day at school, it would be easy. I’m making plans now to bring my toaster oven and maybe a small burner into my classroom so I can bake, boil, sauté, etc in  my classroom when there are no students there.

I definitely don’t brag about it because it could be taken away in a minute. Every time I look around my classroom, or think about my situation, I feel appreciation.