Drugs, Alcohol, and Trippers
I’ve had great experiences abusing substances. Not everyone can hang with it though. The best advice I can give is to be moderate in all things including a little excess. When you do decide to indulge, three things will help you come through it.
1) Know what you are taking and where it came from.
2) Have someone with you that you trust.
3) Program a voice in your head to remind you that whatever you are experiencing is only temporary.
Free Leisure Time
You’ve got all the time in the world. What do you want to do with it? Even if you don’t have any money….here are a few suggestions….
Parks. Every city I’ve been to has parks. Parks are wonderful. Sit in a park. Play sports in the park. Read in the park. The park is a place where you are allowed to be without having to pay anything. Except in China, where you have to pay to go in the parks. Respect the parks. If you can’t think of anything else to do, pick garbage up from around the park.
Sports. I wish I would have discovered sports when I was younger. All you need to run is a pair of shoes. You don’t need $100 Nikes. You can use $5 garage sale shoes. Tennis is free in most US parks. A racket will run you a couple of bucks at the thrift store and you can bounce the ball on the wall all day long. There are Frisbee golf courses all over the Northwest; swimming is free if you have a river, lake, or ocean.
Not only that, but sports make you feel good. They make your body strong. They make your life longer. I’m still not a big fan of watching sports. I can take it or leave it. I prefer movies, but I love playing sports.
Classes. Most American cities offer free or cheap classes in all kinds of things. You can get a class in first aid, in CPR, in researching your genealogy. Go to the library and ask about classes.
Libraries. If Ben Franklin were alive I would write him a heartfelt thank you letter for creating the world’s first public lending library. The public library is the gateway to your future. You can study a new career, take classes, watch videos, attend meetings, use the internet, or find out about anything. Ask the research librarian about anything you want to find out and she will love helping you. Be sure to say thanks.
Free Concerts. There are free concerts in malls, parks, and shopping centers. Pick up a local paper and read the events section or ask the librarian where to look.
Malls. I never liked malls before going to the Philippines. Think about it though. They are free. They have neat stuff you can play with. Sometimes they have concerts. You can people watch to your hearts content in the mall. You can even escape the heat or cold in the mall. Malls are fun.
Cheap Movies. Most cities have cheap theaters. In Honolulu it costs you about a buck to watch a movie. In Portland you can watch art films for a couple of bucks and drink beer while you’re doing it. There are even fifty cent theaters where you can watch second run films.
Window Shopping. Take a walk through downtown and see what the rich folks are buying. Try not to laugh when you see how useless and expensive some of the items are. I still laugh every time I pass a doggie bakery or doggy boutique. Never mind what I do when I go by Prada or Louis whats-his-name.
Visiting. Visit some folks you haven’t seen in a while. Make some new friends. Sit in the park and chat with a stranger.
Reading. Reading can give you ideas. It can whisk you away to another time and place. It can allow you to discover yourself or live the life of someone else. There are too many people who don’t take the time to read a book because they are working too much, watching too much TV, and wasting their lives on worthless trash.
Learning on your own. Just because you can’t afford to go to college doesn’t mean you can’t get an education. Watch Good Will Hunting if you want to be inspired. Use the library. Learn a language, learn about astronomy, biology, medicine, law, or math. Another great resource are the now numerous online universities that provide classes in every subject you can imagine for free. Check out Coursera.org for some examples.
Scientists say that when people stop learning the dendrites in their brains begin to shrivel up. Autopsies have revealed that Alzheimer’s patients have the most shriveled dendrites. Learn or die.
I don’t ever need to see another stinky, negative, unclean beggar. There is no need for it. You’re not a piece of trash. Don’t treat yourself like one. There are plenty of places you can wash up. This is so important I’m going to talk about it again.
If you let yourself look and smell like garbage, you are going to start thinking like garbage. It’s a waste. Keep your pride and keep yourself clean.
Showering. All you need to shower is water and a rag. It doesn’t hurt to have soap. At the least, do this. Go to a restaurant or public bathroom, lock the door, and use a sponge or washcloth to give yourself a good bath at least every other day.
I shower two or three times a day. Mostly at the park.
There are showers available at the YMCA. Churches and missions will let you shower. There are showers at ports. There are showers in colleges and in many parks. Keep yourself clean. Wash your crotch, your pits, your face, your ass, your arms, legs, hands, and feet. (Not necessarily in that order, I like to start with my face.)
Hygiene not only keeps you feeling good about yourself, it keeps you healthy. On top of that, it gives you greater access. Rememberthe three A’s? A clean and healthy looking person can go just about anywhere but a foul smelling bum will get stopped going in the mall, wandering around the campus, and walking in the store.
Laundry. Washing your clothes should cost you about $3 to wash and dry a load at the laundromat. You will feel better and smell better. It’s also a nice place to stay warm when it’s cold out or dry when it’s raining.
Clothing. You can buy good clothes at thrift stores. Pay attention to what is currently fashionable for someone your age. Try to blend in and you will have more access to a better life. I know it’s hard to get rid of your Iron Maiden concert shirt, but for goodness sake man, you’re forty five!
Brushing and Shaving. I brush my teeth twice a day. When I wake up and when I go to sleep. I don’t care where I am. I usually have a water bottle and I will spit the toothpaste in the bushes or on the street if I have to. If someone doesn’t like it I will ask them to please smell my breath.
I use an old fashioned shaving brush to lather up my face. I put some soap in it, put some water in it, lather it up, and then use a cheap razor to shave off my stubble.
Just because you live this way doesn’t mean you have to be a wretched bum. If you want to be that, go ahead. You can live in a car, live in the bushes, or live on the street without looking like you are “homeless”. People are always surprised when they find out I don’t live indoors.
I am a regular person. I just don’t have a house or a real job.
