Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Third Eye Blind Fans!!

HELPING THE POVERTY IN SAN FRANCISCO 

BAY AREA


"Rock The Green" Milwaukee, WI


 My Personal Story Living in the Bay Area 


 About 8 years ago I had lived in the Bay Area near San Francisco, (Castro Valley) and I can say that the poverty level out there is outrageous. 

    I remember driving in Berkley, CA one night near the college campus, and there is literally a whole block of lawn just for homeless people. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was seeing. I've never seen something like that ever in my entire life before, well not in the United States. 

    But, this is the norm out there, I saw it everywhere I went. Oakland, Castro Valley, Palo Alto, San Francisco.. There was not a corner I drove by that I did not see someone homeless. 

   I guess it cuts to my heart because I had a personal experience while living out there, my boyfriend at the time, became homeless after he lost his job and a place to stay from lack of income. 

We were crazy in love. I had a comfortable place to live (I was a Nanny for a family in Castro Valley) and there were times I would drive to meet him in Martinez during the night, just so he could sleep somewhere. And we'd sleep in the car all night. It was fall, approaching winter, and it would get really cold in the hills. However, I could not be with him during the week because of my job, so some nights, I'd lay there in my nice warm bed, knowing the person I loved was sleeping on a picnic table, in the cold, freezing rain, and I'd lay there and cry.

   It was a very humbling experience for me, I will never forget. Therefore, I have a compassion for people that struggle and are trying to survive in this nation.  

   Poverty can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter where you come from, it is a matter of circumstances at times. Yeah we can all make bad choices, and there's a re-action for every action we take. However, when the economy is bad, people lose their jobs, it doesn't matter what education they have, it doesn't matter what kind of talent or skills they have, they can still be forced to live in the streets. 

   And when that happens, it's very discouraging to the soul. You feel you aren't good enough, you feel that no matter how hard you try to find the right job, it just isn't happening. And then you end up asking the question "why me?" Why do I "deserve" this? 

 The truth is, no one deserves it. 

  What happened to compassion in this country? What happened to community living? What happened to hiring someone for their talent and skill, and not just for their attractive appeal that they may have? 

    I had a life-changing experience coming from that job in Castro Valley. The family I worked for, they didn't like that I had a boyfriend who was homeless, and when they found out I was helping him sleep in their car, and giving him money so he could eat and staying in hotels. They "let me go" in concern for my well being, was their excuse. They then asked me "Do you wanna go back to WI or stay here?" I knew if I stayed in California, I'd be homeless as well. 

   I called my boyfriend. He told me to go home to Wisconsin. Well, that meant us not being together anymore. I had a hard decision to make.

  I made that sacrifice. My heart was broken into a million pieces.  I was in love for the first time in my life, I was living in a beautiful city/area that I had fallen in love with as well, and I had to leave it all, or face being homeless. 

   Flying home was the most morbid feeling I ever felt. I felt guilty for leaving someone I loved (especially in a homeless state), I also felt like a failure because it was the first time I was ever let go in that career.

  But, having gone through all that, I learned to know what it's like be helpless. To feel like your life is completely out of our own control. You begin to feel as if your fate is not up to you anymore.. It's a huge level of trust you have to give in to, not only to the divine universe or whatever religion you trust in, but also to the people in your community and city. 

  Not everyone has family that is there for them, not everyone has friends that will take them in every night. It's a sad, depressing world out there for some people. 

 And for people like Mitt Romney to say that 47% of the population "act" like they are victims is so repulsive to me. 
Our country is about to fall, and who is going to be there for us when it does?? 

We can't rely on the government anymore, we have to rely on each other, our neighbors, our friends, our community. 

 YOU are that person. 
There are no more excuses. 

There are so many good things we can do as a nation, but we won't get there until people (rich and poor) learn the ONE golden rule we were told growing up...

"Love thy neighbor as thyself."

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