Never a Dull Moment

It seems like every holiday season brings up new and challenging situations. This year seems to be a little busier than the past years for me. Several factors are in this equation, the most serious of which are one; my mom is scheduled for major surgery the week of Thanksgiving, and two; my grandmother (on my mom’s side) passed away early this morning. If that’s not enough, the weather has to pull a nasty and toss a few gnarly tornadoes into the area where my grandmother and most of my mom’s family live.

A quick look at the Egan Warming Center website shows me that the average temperature from all data collected means temperatures at 28 degrees for Wednesday night. That means we will probably activate the warming centers to lower the risk of homeless persons freezing to death during the night. With all that said, here’s an excerpt from Behind the Signs about cold temperatures and some of the things homeless persons must deal with for survival.

Behind the Signs – Chapter 3

  

    I needed something to lie on and cover me so I went on a cardboard hunt. I walked behind the supermarket and found just what I needed. I scored one large box, kind of thick, and one that was thinner but larger to use as a cover. I carried the cardboard over to the makeshift sleeping area and proceeded to make a bed. My pillow consisted of an oval shaped river rock about eight inches long and five inches in diameter. It was the perfect size. It wasn't soft, it was a rock of course, but at least it was some elevation for my head.

    After I had everything in place I went for a walk around the area. After that I walked over to McDonald’s to warm up and use their facilities one last time before returning to my new found comfort zone for what would be a night of cold, wet sleep.

    The rain drops on the cardboard kept a constant enough rhythm to put me to sleep. I was exhausted anyway so sleep came relatively easily. When my bladder wakened me that it was time to pee, I rolled out from under the cardboard to discover that I was sleeping under a white blanket of snow. I finished my business and crawled back underneath and fell back asleep. I woke up again at daylight and figured the best thing to do would be pick up all the cardboard and place it back in the recycle bin before things got busy. After that I walked over to the mini-mart for a cup of hot coffee, taking as long as possible to warm up as much as I could.

If you've ever been in a similar situation, leave a comment. We'd love to hear your story.

Until Next Time,

Kirk Toncray

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