My new beginning

[lynettebro440]

This is my 501th post and it has only taken me three years to get here. I was sitting here reflecting on my life, I mean I'm turning a half a century old this year, I have finally come to terms with it, but also on where I've come as a person. I wrote a post exactly three years to the date and I shared with DU a story about a guy named Tom who was homeless and also a Vietnam vet who lived under a bridge and who was kind enough to let me share his space with him for a time when I too was homeless.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4239768

Three years ago I started on DU because I was literally beginning to go crazy and I needed an outlet of like minded souls that shared with me their fights, and desires and interests and we rallied around one another as if our lives depended upon it. After awhile I became once again without a computer and surviving day to day. I had burned out badly on DU so I took up other interests, like getting my Series 6 license, scoring a damn good, decent job, began becoming independent on everyone and all credit companies and being strong within my soul. When you have been homeless and you understand the look of disgust that the rest of the world gives you, you begin to understand both sides of life.

Oh, I lived rich. I married into a rich family when I was younger, (he was a ski bum) and at 19 said yes to marriage, dumb I know, but I became a down hill slalom skier, bore two children with him and am still very close to him even though we have been divorced for almost 20 years. I have moved around and done damn near everything I have ever wanted. I moved from the Midwest to Southern Florida in my early 40's. I was all ready to see the world. But I wasn't prepared for what the world taught me. Finding myself homeless, friendless and without family after 5 years, I was able to became ingenious on how to survive and maintain and exist with very little and among people that never really understood me. No one really knows much about the depths of my life anymore besides my 2 adult children. But there is one thing that I do know. I know that it is a hell of a lot easier to learn how to be rich then it is learning how to be poor. I have a huge advantage now in life, and it may seem really selfish to actually say it out loud. But I am really going to enjoy watching the misery of people becoming poor knowing that I have already mastered it, and if I might add, am pretty damn good at it.

I listen all day to people calling telling me that they are losing thousands of dollars a day on the market. I am as nice as can be, my bonuses depends upon it :) but there is a huge part of me that has no sympathy. Because see if I would have had $50,000, and me being the dumb homeless person that the rich viewed me as, i would have invested in gold. i would have learned the stock market, like i have now and invested wisely. But i didn't have that chance. Excuse my no capitals on i's, the button is broke.

i guess what i'm saying is this. After surviving losing everything, becoming homeless before it was hip, shopping the dollar store before it got busy, for having insight to the future because my life depended upon it, i am now educated, and way farther then most people of my age. i feel good about the next 50 because god dammit, i'm prepared.

Just thought i would share my 501st post. Thanks for listening.

[NMDemDist2]

1. .....

:yourock:

[lynettebro440]

2. Thank you

you rock back......

[NMDemDist2]

3. I've always enjoyed your posts and now I know why

we're sisters of different mothers

:hug:

[lynettebro440]

4. You wouldn't have wanted my mother lol

but that would then make you cajun, you? i sure could hook up with a past relative that can cook true cajun...... sister..

[Warpy]

8. You're not going to be alone in going from relative riches

to desperate poverty in a short time. I'm afraid there are a lot of people out there who don't know it yet who are on the same road and will have that same steep learning curve to cope with.

I guess I was lucky to come of age in the hippie years when we were figuring out just how little we really needed to live on. My learning curve was slow and gentle, even if it did include brief periods of homelessness and real hunger. I didn't have to do it in a matter of weeks and we were all in the same boat back then unless we had trust funds, which damned few of us did.

My mother was a kid in the Depression and spent her entire life terrified of poverty, funny since my Granny was solidly middle class and they not only kept their home but didn't even have to take in boarders. They ate oatmeal three times a day in the worst of it, though.

Having experienced enough real poverty in my life has made me unafraid of it, although I'd greatly prefer not to repeat it at my age. My fervent hope is that none of us do, those of us who have already experienced it, thanks very much.

However, if it comes again, it'll come more as an unwelcome relative instead of a terrifying stranger. We know what to do about it, already.

[lynettebro440]

9. Agree

i do not ever want to get to that level of desperate again. it has kept me on the forward path. i became of age during the carter days, got married, there was no gas, high interest rates, to babies. Those were hard days, but you know i wouldn't really trade them in. i got divorced and was making such little money that my kids school helped us with food and clothing and the funny thing is my kids weren't really ever aware of it. i came up with original and cost free fun and we still use that same ideology today.

i'm glad that i have been able to know true desperation because i appreciate life so much more. But there is a little bit of glory knowing that my whole generation is going to be working until we are in our 80's...i won't be the only one.

[Leftist Agitator]

14. I grew up in the 80s.

As in 1980s, Reaganomics and all.

But my grandparents grew up during the Great Depression. They basically raised me. They instilled within me an unfathomable sense of frugality.

I not only save the twist-ties from bags of bread, I save the bags for various reasons. My grandmother taught me lots of neat tricks that you for which you can use otherwise useless bags. And extra twist-ties are inherently useful.

Their parents, on both sides, had to take on boarders. They both used to collect wild plants to supplement their families' food supplies. My grandfather used to unload countless sacks of flour at 100 pounds each to get two loaves of free bread per week to help feed himself, his five brothers (two of who died during WWII), and their mother. That, and he and Dino Martini (who you probably know as Dean Martin) and the gang used to steal bread off of the back of the truck, with a wink and a nod from the driver.

Those were the days... The days of poverty and hunger that we of the modern age can't imagine... yet.

I sincerely hope that we don't descend to those depths as a result of Bush fucking the world's most powerful economy right up the ass.

But I know that we will. It's happend before, it'll happen again if we become complacent.

Republicans are evil, though they know not what they do.

And on that moralistic, forgiving note, I'm out.

[givemebackmycountry]

5. lynette...

Love ya girl...

I just moved (got re-located) to Central Florida in April, and within a week or two rumors started to fly about layoffs, etc.
I freaked.
Paralyzed with fear.
I had just signed a lease on a 1,100 a month condo, and I damn near drove myself crazy with worry.
Been homeless myself years ago, sleeping in Stapleton Airport in Denver for about a month while I was working everyday.
Somehow, I managed to hold it together.

Congratulations on your 501st post.
DU'ers like you are my daily inspiration and I just want to say...

You Go Girl...

PM me anytime you wanna talk.

:hi: :pals: :yourock: :pals: :hi:

[lynettebro440]

6. Thank you sweetie

That made me smile.....

There is something about Florida that either brings out the best of you or brings out the worst of life. i moved back to Des Moines right after 9/11. Man do i have some crazy stories i could tell you about those times back in florida after 9/11, that was some crazy shit.

Thank you for saying that i'm inspirational. DU ain't what it used to be. :)
They can be as harsh as the old freepers back in the day....

Can i pm if i haven't joined again? i have been giving all my loose change to Obama ;)

[Mind_your_head]

11. Good luck in Florida......

let us know how long you last (and if you 'last for long'... why?)

There's a pox on that state.

Florida :scared: :puke:

[Booster]

7. Homeless people have always intrigued me, probably because

there were times in my life when I was as close to being homeless as you can get. When I was young I drank too much and got in all kinds of trouble because of it. I've spent the night with homeless people just because I was drunk and wanted to, but have never really lost my home. I actually admire the homeless because they are far more educated in survival than the rest of us. I really think I could do it, but don't want to really try - I'm way too old now. Good for you for getting your life back together and knowing that you will make it no matter what. I shop the dollar stores too and always pick up something for the food bank in memory of my friends on the street who had nothing but shared with me what they had. Good people.

[lynettebro440]

10. yeah i give to the food bank also

i will never forget how grateful i was when they helped me. Even when i was homeless i remember splitting 2 dollars in my pocket to another homeless person, so we both had one.

[Booster]

12. See, that's what I mean. To the homeless, friendship is far more

important than 2 dollars. And you can bet that person has never forgotten you.

[lynettebro440]

13. i sure never forgot him either

it's weird but your right, someone you do become closer when surviving is your goal.

[emilyg]

15. ....

:hug: