Upon discussing relaunching this blog to a longtime writer friend, the thought emerged that a truly impoverished person would unlikely have access to reading it. This hindered my spirited endeavor for a few weeks while I let the thoughts on what it means to be poor or rich percolate in my mind. I’ve never been impoverished as many in this world. I’m privileged enough to have internet access and other worldly comforts. Yet, the main reason I stopped this originally short-lived blog was the inability to afford a new computer after the one I had crashed. I’ve been low enough on money to wonder how I was going to eat. I’ve screwed people over because I had to worry about meeting my own ends. Yet, I’ve been used for money and resources because somebody in a poorer state (mostly of mind) didn’t want to earn his keep.
My outlook on life is to keep prospering, better hood upon better hood. I am not as poor as I used to be. By my own willpower, each step I take is in the opposite direction of that poor material state as well as the occasional rough mental state. Honestly, I inherited money that enabled me to buy a house and get a nice car. But, that is where the spoils ended. The money I use for paying my mortgage and all the bills associated with home ownership as well as providing for my son come from my consistent income from my job. In my case, it is mostly cash tips as my income source. I am thoughtful on how I spend my money because of the few years I spent fucking up and learning how to be resourceful without much cash flow. I don’t like to be cheap. I like to be clever. Besides the environmental and socioeconomic factors, much of my home goods and clothing shopping is done at thrift stores so I can use the money saved on getting my hair and nails done on a regular basis.
As for beauty and hygiene products, ideally, I would like to make my own. Besides those, I would like to shop organically for everything else in the marketing spectrum. Yet, I am not privileged with the time for the former, and I do not have money for the latter. I do try to be conscious of what is organic and look for sales in organic products. There are, however, some brands I do not touch for I believe money spent is like a vote on the future of consumerism.
So, where will this blog go? It will go and go, without forgetting its humble roots. It’s getting rich from being poor. It’s about what it means to be poor in spirit and in hand. It’s about the richness that can be found with or without money. The richest experiences I know have been free. The feeling I get when I write a piece I’m utterly connected to does not cost anything. The sheer look of happiness on my son’s face; free. Then my thoughts go back to the fact that some of those in extreme poverty are not educated enough to write or be provided with basic needs. What a conundrum. My guilt speaks to me to explore that type or poorness in the future. There is a wealth, pun intended, of topics waiting to be explored in this blog.
I may have help with navigating through these topics. My original concept was to have many contributors to create a wide scope of tips, ideas, and beliefs. My previously mentioned writer friend has something in the works. This same friend ended our last conversation with the words, “I was never that down and out,” when I told him one of my roommates from about 10 years ago stole toilet paper from convenience stores’ bathrooms. I pointed out that I was just as guilty because I always used it and never bought any. How appropriate.
Disclaimer: Stealing toilet paper is not something I’m presenting as an idea when you are poor. It’s an example of what you can stoop to when you are low.
How does it feel when you got no food?