The Life In Decatur

The Little Ease was the name a prison cell in the Tower of London.  It was called the Little Ease because it was designed to be a small and solitary room without windows in which the prisoner could not get comfortable.  The room was so small that an average person could not stand up, lie down, stretch, or anything else. The idea of this room came to me the first time I did this, but it did not stick with me past the first shower when I got back.  The problem is what one has to think about and never quite being comfortable without a home. The rain came down in fits and starts two nights ago.  Before taking this on, I had splurged on a new sleeping bag rated to be warm in 0 degrees and waterproof.  There would be no setting up a tent so I thought this might be the best option for sleeping out.  Then came the rain. The night was warm, which meant sleeping with the bag only slightly open.  Then came the rain.  Waterproof sleeping bags are great ...

I will be living on the streets of Decatur, homeless for the next 30 days, taking an in-depth look at homelessness in this area, and revisiting places nearly a decade after having done this before. Day 1 I wonder how many people have been in this position...for real. This was always the moment I had wondered about, right here, right now.  This moment; the moment where one steps out the door for the last time, not knowing whether they will ever walk back into a door of their own.  I always wonder about the soft click of the lock, and what that means. I am coming back to it in 30 days.  No amount of role playing (which is essentially what this project is; role playing) can prepare you for that feeling; not knowing.  No matter what, I know that I have my keys right in my pocket. Last night I closed the door and walked to the MARTA station with just about everything in a bag and the warm(-ish) air was inviting.  There was a hint of spring. How do you start be...

I will be living on the streets of Decatur, homeless for the next 30 days, taking an in-depth look at homelessness in this area, and revisiting places nearly a decade after having done this before. When I decided to come to this community, I wanted to see what was here in Decatur and what was missing; how to grow in this place.  It's a lot of work getting to know a place, however small and cozy.  There are new streets to learn and people to meet. I have decided to up the ante. While it is difficult to be homeless, there is actual work to be done.  When we look at how the average day is spent when you are on the street, the work is primarily logistical in the beginning.  Sleeping is one thing, but where do you go when the sun is up and you can no longer hide in corners? For many, it is part of a routine.  Once you get used to it, there is a pattern to packing up, a place to hide what you cannot carry with you, an awareness of where you can go and when. Fo...

Starting tomorrow, I will be living on the streets of Decatur, homeless for the next 30 days, taking an in-depth look at homelessness in this area, and revisiting places nearly a decade after having done this before. I will not mention any names, though I should mention names.  It's not that their business would be hurt or that even a basic understanding of the world would allow you to figure out who and what I am talking about, but I will not mention any names. Suffice it to say that there is a coffee shop chain that throws out three or five sandwiches every other night or so.  Outside this particular coffee shop are people who have not eaten all day. Those sandwiches have to go in the trash. These are the things that I will never understand.  The people who work at this particular coffee shop are good people and they would love to, at the end of the day, hand those sandwiches out to people who are right outside of the door who have not eaten all day.  Thos...

Almost a decade ago, I packed up some clothes, my tent, a cold weather sleeping bag and stepped out of my condo in Chamblee, GA into the cold.  A week before, I had been shopping at REI and got all sorts of things that I would need for my trip.  I bought a new MP3 player and headphones.  It was the end of October, so I bought some long johns.  I didn't need too much else.  I am an avid camper and hiker and 30 days outside was not much of a push.  I locked the door, slid my keys into my pocket, and went to the MARTA station. I wasn't going hiking or camping though.  The idea that this was simply another camping trip was the first thing I had to get out of my head.  I wasn't going to the woods.  I was going to Little Five Points.  Little Five Points, or L5P was a little neighborhood close to the center of Atlanta.  Then, it was the center of the Bohemian South.  It was exotic and weird and there were people there playing music ...

If I had a nickel every time I needed a glue gun!  Well, I would probably have about 55 cents but that has always given me something to think about. As we are looking at things that we need in the community, we are also looking at the things we need in our homes and what can be shared.  This is not a different or unusual model than what we see in other, more tribal-minded countries, or even back in the day to when people were more apt to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg, because it just didn't make sense to go and buy a pound of sugar just then or a dozen eggs. The same should apply to the present world and other things other than food.   We have a lot more that needs to be done on a daily basis and better technology to manage it for more families.  It is all pretty simple, someone near you has the thing you need. More importantly than just convenience, there are people in our current community in need and the fixes are relatively simple for an active communi...

Coming to a new community can be difficult, and this is coming from someone who has moved around a lot.  Sometimes, though, you just find a good place to grow; the kind of place where everything you need is close if not in reach. Welcome to Decatur, a nest of little towns just outside of Atlanta.  Having lived so many places; so many big cities, it is easy to be instantaneously jaded.  I am very liberal, verging on bleeding heart liberal, and being in the south...well... The key to starting in any new place, growing in any new place is testing the soil and then developing a plan based on the results. I have long been a proponent of what I call Neo-Permaculture.  Permaculture itself relies on people acknowledging their environment and essentially adjusting themselves and the environment in retroactive ways.  Let's be honest, the best thing for the earth right now is to give up cars and return, as a whole back to nature.  Let's also be honest and realize ...