My tent, my regrettable remorse

Once upon a time, I was living on the street.
My first location was on G Street — right there in front of the MLK Library.
I had to live outside in all types of weather in all of the seasons.
I didn’t have any privacy and was left behind.
Every day and night I had to survive all the noises of the passerby.
I couldn’t close my eyes.
It had been eight months since I no longer had the right to eight hours of sleep.
My life was so painful and pitiful, but then my sister from another mother gave me her tent.
That day I thought my life was going to be so beautiful and a new hope was reborn.
I was living in perfect harmony with myself in that historic tent that I called my home.
My neighbors always fought and threw broken glass.
They became a headache for visitors to the city who passed.
I had to pick all the items every time.
I knew for sure sooner or later the city would take all the tents out.
From that moment I realized that my foresaid beautiful and peaceful life will change. Where will be my next destination? That was the question that tormented me.
I knew we were in serious danger and at risk to be evicted.
If it was me alone, I know that even for 20 more years I would be living on that beautiful avenue without any single problem. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Sometimes when there is too much freedom, it kills the freedom itself.
And all human beings need to know that where your freedom stops, the freedom of others starts.
My neighbors did what they wanted based on their freedom but the city also did what they did based on their power. They evicted me from my tent, my temporary house, before I had a chance to meet an alternative.
I really regret things ended like that, and that remorse haunts me again and again.
I can’t stop remembering those moments when I had come home to my tent and got myself calm and felt myself belong to a world where I have somewhere to lay my head down.
Some people have an apartment, house or a hotel and complain, some others just get a tent on a sidewalk and are happy.
My next engagement as a citizen is to teach everyone about homelessness and how each gain should be an accomplishment and each accomplishment is a part of life.
And thank you Michelle for capturing the moment. I recommend everyone watch it and support me in continuing to build up a better life for me and for my beloved children.
Like many, I never expected to experience homelessness and houselessness but that experience happened and become a part of my life story. The only thing I have now is to work to end homelessness.
All my thanks to Street Sense Media and the reverend at the Epiphany Church in downtown D.C.
And I want to send all my gratitude to Rochelle from the People For Fairness Coalition who took me to Christ House where I’m able to have a decent life.
At Christ House, I have a bed, and three meals a day, and am able to take a shower without hustling anymore. How sweet it is to have a place to live!