“These hands have dug in a lot of gardens and changed a lot of diapers. I am in the shelter because the apartment below mine caught on fire when they were cooking meth. I couldn’t live with the fumes. I never felt safe living there anyway. Save your money and hide it from your family if you don’t want to end up in a shelter like me. I was once a social worker but now I have disability. My old man was a Vietnam veteran and he beat me and hit me in the head. That may be while I am a little strange. I kept going and have been in situations where I have had to be on my toes. The city is a jungle when you are homeless. You have to let people know when you carry heat or a big stick. I always have to think about my next survival move and word got around not to mess with me. I have been in a wheelchair for three years. I had an appointment with a surgeon for my legs. but they told me that I may make it or I may not. People are passing away in my family, and it discourages me from getting the surgery. My boyfriend and my mother died last year. You have to keep your sense of humor and love of life or it will all die around you. Save the crazy for the big stuff. You meet a lot of people and draw off their energy. I used to be shy and incompetent. My mom was bipolar and my dad was an alcoholic. I had a hard time finding my identity. I am older now and may not be physically healthy, but I am mentally strong. If someone comes at me with a cruel or sassy comment, I come back with something that makes them laugh, like Bob Hope used to do. It ain’t all bad when you get older.”