Obscurity
I wrote a post earlier about https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joyce-bowen/the-price-of-compassion. I could relate to much of the story myself. Iām facing similar circumstances.
I find myself scrambling for solutions to my dilemma, and have finally come up with one. I will go homeless. I need medical, food, diapers, and a home. A home and its overhead are the greatest of my expenses, but if I forgo having a place to live and its many expenses, I can have the rest. I can eat; afford medications and medical; and, Thank God, afford to change my depends three times a day instead of my usual day or two.
Now while it seems to be acceptable to go without food or medical or live in dirty diapers, going homeless causes people to suck in their wind or brings forward hushed silences. āHow could you?ā People ask. How could I what? Eat? Attend to my medical needs? Change my diapers?
You seeāif Iām encased in a home, people donāt have to know about the rest. If I forego a home in order to take care of the rest, people ask questions. I have no qualms about opening my big mouth.
Iām old and crippled. There are logistics to consider. A toilet is necessary. So that would necessitate a van. NoāIām not going to live on the outside. I think Iām going to get a van and live in it. I can do that for a number of years. If the time comes people believe they are going to shove me into a nursing home, Iāll cross that bridge when I come to it. But I can tell you nowāaināt gonna happen. Iāve spent my life taking care of myself and others, and I will not be pounded into the position of being forced into a warehouse that provides the substandard care often levied upon the poor.
I will miss heat, electricity, TV, but Que Seraā¦ I will love clean diapers, access to food, and access to medical.
Currently, I am on Medicare for the disabled. I will lose drug coverage soon. I will be reduced to finding coverage elsewhere. Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage costs up to a few hundred dollars a month. There is what they call a donut hole where up to $3000.00 of your prescriptions are not covered. If you do not have that money to spend, you never meet the criteria for coverage. Ā Thus, you never get needed medication.
If I provide myself with shelter, I will not be able to provide for my medical needs. I choose medical.
I still have four months to plan my escape into obscurity. Whatever I can save of my life will go into a small storage bin. When I die, I have no doubt remnants of my existence will be auctioned off. Somehow, obscurity seems appropriate.
Copyright 2017 Joyce Bowen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-bowen/
https://twitter.com/crwriter1
https://joycebowen.wordpress.com/author/joycebowen/
https://medium.com/@joycebowen
Sobre el autor: Joyce Bowen es unĀ escritor independienteĀ yĀ oradorĀ pĆŗblico. LasĀ consultas pueden hacerseĀ en crwriter@comcast.net
"""
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Comments
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #40
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #39
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #38
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #37
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #36
https://www.patreon.com/user
Helena Jansen van Vuuren
6 years ago #35
Will do same - where is the how to. please?
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #34
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #33
Actually been in touch with 2 organizations this morning. One has my email and will discuss my proposal that I tell the stories of some elderly/homeless tomorrow at a staff meeting. They are going to take a look at my bebee.com blog.
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #32
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #31
Thank you, Praveen for standing ready to help. Cheers!
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #30
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #29
I do have a patreon site here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5891284
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #28
I am on patron websites. When I can generate enough interest and material, I will set up a website.
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #27
Heh--come along for the ride, Melissa?
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #26
I have been published. I simply have never made derived a living from it. I save work to external hard drives now but have lost much from the past. I managed to save newspapers from my editorial column and the like from school, but have seen websites go defunct over time, taking my work with it. Silly me. I spread my work around on websites now and save copies diligently..
CityVP Manjit
6 years ago #25
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #24
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #23
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #22
Thank you, Franci, for joining the effort. Cheers!
Milos Djukic
6 years ago #21
Milos Djukic
6 years ago #20
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #19
Milos Djukic
6 years ago #18
Thank you Phil Friedman.
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #17
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #16
Thank you, Milos, for joining the effort. Certainly, this would be a boost for Joyce, who takes it all as it comes with stoic resolve, but who, yes, is worthy as a writer and storyteller. But it would also be a heartwarming demonstration of community and writer-to-writer solidarity. Cheers!
Milos Djukic
6 years ago #15
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #14
Thank you, Todd, for joining up. It's often easy to love mankind in general and in the abstract, much more difficult to get down to actually helping someone on an individual, concrete basis. BTW, I for one am honored to have both Joyce and you as fellow writers in this community. Cheers!
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #13
Thank you, Pascal, Sara, Don, and Gert. Please share this with the writers you know. For to my mind, this is about community. Cheers!
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #12
Milos Djukic
6 years ago #11
Gert Scholtz
6 years ago #10
don kerr
6 years ago #9
Sara Jacobovici
6 years ago #8
Count me in Phil Friedman you have an extended community here. Combined with your abilities and attitude, things can turn around for you!
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #7
No, not at all. For years, I carried around enough tools and stainless steel screws, nuts and bolts to build a boat. Finally, my wife made me donate them all to Habitat for Humanity. You have to realize that they do not represent what you are. That which is in your heart does.!the rest is just inanimate junk, however much you might think it defines you. Yes, do. start a new adventure. There are those of us who will try to help, one writer to another.
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #6
Thanks, Pascal.
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #5
#6 Both great ideas. I like the thought of turning this into even more of an adventure, Phil. But I feel so damned old. Must be the MS. I've been looking around this morning to see what I will keep. Would you believe I'm having trouble with the idea of giving up my tools?
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #4
Phil Friedman
6 years ago #3
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #2
yea--I've been trying to get my writing going since lastNov 1. I am a trained writer. Believe me when I tell you professors beat that into me. My biggest fan was Professor John Nelson. (Thank you, John.) He created a one-on-one course to mentor me, and I will be eternally grateful. I know he hoped I would just run out and publish, but I was so damned scared. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
Joyce š Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #1
Believe me. I've already tried much. Poverty limits are so low. You have to be starving to get help. I think the disabled are particularly at risk in this country. I swear they just try to kill us off to save what little money they can. Breakfast sounds good as a respite. I do have one more thing I'm going to try on the 11th. Let's all hook up after that.