Did you know that getting a haircut is a luxury? Really..it is. As a person that barely makes enough money to eat, I’m starting to learn what real needs are. I got paid today and I could either get a much desired haircut along with a new pair of shoes or I could pay the rent and have a place to sleep for another month.
Over the past year, people have looked at me like I’m crazy when I tell them what I do for a living. Yes, I’ve briefly explained it before: I work for a national organization that works toward alleviating poverty in the US. But another major piece of this work is that I have vowed to spend a few years living in poverty to better understand poverty. This has been an interesting challenge for me for many reasons. One reason—>I grew up sort of in the middle tier of the middle class. I’ve never had to worry about where anything was coming from and I also had this crazy idea that I understood empathy. In a way—being that vain, middle class suburban girl made me think that I could live in poverty and be “y’know like totally fine because I don’t need anything anyway.”
This past year has changed the way I view life. My parents, not understanding my decision for a career after receiving a good college education, chose not to offer much support because they assumed I’d give up after a few months. Interestingly, I’ve been enthralled by this challenge. Living without making much money requires that a person become very creative with how to survive. I witness this on a daily basis. I encounter families that know how to make ends meet even when there is no more money to go around. I can make five different meals using the same ingredients. I’ve learned that the people who have the least tend to want to offer the most. There’s a realization that collobarating and partnering with others is sometimes the only way to survive.
I am in no way attempting to make poverty seem attractive in that indie sort of way. There have been times when I’ve cried because I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to afford groceries or I couldn’t sleep because it was too hot because the air conditioner wasn’t working. But I have learned how to be content. How to enjoy simply sitting and doing nothing else. How to really enjoy the company and conversation of others.
I have a newfound respect for those less fortunate because in a way, they’ve taught me how to live.
