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When I was living on the streets, I gave myself two constants. First, it was to be a time of life for me, not a way of life. That's why it was important to stay in school and continue living to my values. I begged for food, I even ate out of dumpsters, but I remained a vegetarian. I had become vegetarian for political reasons, not for my health. I sought out men to sleep near at night, for safety, but I remained a virgin. I had promised myself that I wouldn't have sex until I was in...
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When I was living on the streets, I gave myself two constants. First, it was to be a time of life for me, not a way of life. That's why it was important to stay in school and continue living to my values. I begged for food, I even ate out of dumpsters, but I remained a vegetarian. I had become vegetarian for political reasons, not for my health. I sought out men to sleep near at night, for safety, but I remained a virgin. I had promised myself that I wouldn't have sex until I was in love, and no matter where I lived, I felt I had nothing if I didn't keep promises to myself. The boundaries set up by society had become meaningless to me because they had failed to protect me and keep me in the fold. So my own boundaries were the only ones that I lived within: I ingested and smoked illegal drugs, but I never injected any drug. The other thing that I did for my survival was write my story. By giving myself that project I gave myself meaning and direction. The challenges I faced were to be overcome so that I would survive and tell our story. Not just my story, but ours; there are far too many of us. I finished writing the story before I finished high school. When I finally got my own place and got another job, I only smoked pot at night and on weekends, when I was writing. I didn't yet have confidence in myself though, and I sat on this book for ten years before I was ready to send it out. Ten years later, I'm volunteering with an organization that helps street-kids who live on and around Pearl Street. My life has come full circle.