I began writing when I was in high school. I haven’t stopped since. I also read as I’m a writer so reading what’s out there is always important.
I also like to draw & paint but it comes after my writing. I have 2 journals, one for observation & the other one is a bit personal. But I try to write as often as I can.
Writing serves as a form of therapy & way of documenting the important things that happen. It’s also a way for me to process.
What would you do if you lost all your possessions?
In the summer of 2007 I had lost my apartment from sexist & nasty slumlord. I ended up in a street shelter while my possessions ended up in a short term storage place. For over a year I hardly went to the storage facility to retrieve anything & for all practical purposes lived out of the suitcase.
In the Fall of the same year I ended up at a poorly run transitional housing place where the chance of ending back out on the street was extremely high. I did buy clothes that year but rarely went to my storage unit.
The bullies in the program were many & they’d come up to me & say stuff like “when you end up back on the street I’ll have those pants, shirts etc.” When I left that poorly run program with only 4 weeks left- I left with all my belongings intact & my storage unit.
I’ve not seen the inside of a shelter since & I’m grateful as it makes me appreciate all that I do have instead of all the stuff I don’t. Being on the verge of being homeless is never a good feeling. Luckily I’ve never had to experience that again.
What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?
Your view changes. I lost a baby over a decade ago & I could do nothing about it. I was devastated afterwards & it lasted months. Losing a child is much harder than it seems like & I wasn’t given a choice because of the circumstances.
I still think women should have a choice that hasn’t changed. But the emotional toll it took on me afterwards I couldn’t have foreseen. Because losing a child is so frowned upon & the emotional toll that it takes is something my doctor never told me. So I became afraid of getting pregnant again until it was too late. Being afraid to carry a child is devastating. Hence, I didn’t become pregnant again after losing that baby. I’ve always been strong but the loss of that baby changed something in me. I dreamt of being a mother for years & then it was Gone over night. I feel that you’ve no right to judge another woman’s choice.
