12 Surprising Discoveries Living in a Shelter for Homeless People

12 surprising discoveries I made living in a shelter for homeless people and don't get me wrong, eh, I did feel terribly deprived and horrified, and kept thinking "my god, this is where people come whom nobody wants" sort of thing.

Well, try to imagine after losing all your material possessions. It seems perfectly justified.

Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when,

whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.

~Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, 1862


 These Aha! moments uplift and carry me through the day. It has been a journey of self-discovery and growth lessons worth experiencing for which I am exceedingly grateful.



Source: Ruthie on Flickr

1-  It's easy to bend, I will never break. No one can do that to me but me.

2-  Good samaritans - I call them life heroes - really do exist. They step up, do yeoman service without asking for anything in return and they just keep on giving.

3-  No task is too menial if you are being paid to do it.

4-  Seeing beauty in a world of ugly means you have returned to reality.

5-  Help comes from the most unlikely source. All you have to do is ask and the only thing anyone can say is "no".

6-  I am not afraid of anything or anyone. When I feel uncertain I pause a beat and go within to find out what's really going on.

7-  NOW, is full of possibilities.

8-  I don't feel deprived because being rich and now having just TT$14 in the bank does not change who I am.

9-  Only when you experience life in another man's or woman's shoes can you tell where she or he is coming from. Stop judging because you don't know what life has in store for you.

10-Living life in a homeless shelter teaches you humility and exposes the sanctimonious hypocrisy you've been living i.e. "If you had done...", "You wouldn't be in this position if ...", "All s/he had to do was...", "It's easy to get a job..." and the rest of that crap since "we" pretended what was best and how to go about it.

11-Keeping the faith is tough after 19 months unemployed but when you feel you're at rock bottom, it's the only way out. I "found" 190 year old  Trinity Cathedral in which to ground my Self.

12-Connecting with Source sitting in that stillness is the rock to hold onto.

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you

listen to God. ~Author Unknown