How I Overcame Failure and Rose to a New Life 7 Years Ago
If you give up, you become the walking dead
I was staying at Transitional housing in Minneapolis. I was driving the staff crazy because I was after them all the time. I needed big boxes. Olivia sent me a two-wheeled dolly so I could get the boxes to the FedEx place near the shelter.
I left the dolly in the room when I left
Government Assistance paid eighty-something a month. For the next three months, I would send a box of my stuff to South Carolina. Olivia had found me a place to stay. She rented me a room in a house with three or four other guys.
I was excited to be leaving. I arrived at the terminal early
Two days before I left Minneapolis, I packed my bag and backpack. I left the shelter on a Saturday morning right after breakfast. When I turned in my key and my I.D. I surprised the woman behind the counter. “ You’re leaving?” I told her, “Yes, I was out of there.”
I walked to the Light Rail station to head to the airport. Two and a half years of homelessness came to an end.
Olivia found me a place to stay, and she bought us a car
Olivia had found me a room with three or four other guys. I stayed there for two or three months before we found an apartment. A minister at our church married us seven months later.
. I had come a long way from being homeless in a short time. I would still be in the system and on G.A. if it weren’t for getting to know a woman I met on Facebook.
Never despair and never give up, there’s hope while you’re breathing
When you’re going through tough times, it’s easy to wallow in despair and give up. There were times in Minneapolis when I came close to doing that. One reason I held on to hope was the possibility of a future with Olivia. I doubt I would be alive now if we hadn’t met on Facebook.
When everything goes to Hell, don’t dwell on the mistakes that got you there. You can’t change or erase the past, but you can learn from your mistakes and move on.
Don’t dwell on the past, stay in the present, and do your best
It’s not easy to do. I struggle with it still, but I’m getting better every day. I had to make those mistakes to meet the woman God had planned for me to meet. Dwelling on mistakes robs you of the energy to appreciate what you now have.
If we hadn’t gotten together, I never would have taken the online fiction writing class she paid for. Olivia had read about Medium online and told me about it. All this started with a Friend Request on Facebook.
I took a chance, and in the short term I failed, but I triumphed in the end
Where would I be now if I were still living in a trailer park in Florida? I experienced things that made me a better person and turned me into a half-decent writer. I paid a heavy price.
Things happened and relationships ended, but it was for the best. I’m glad things happened. I’m happy where I’m at, but I never want to go through those things again.
You’re writing the story, and you can revise
Think of your life as a story, a story you’re writing. You can decide on the next chapter. You might be in a dark place now, but you can rise above it and see the light of a new destination.
On February 23, 2017, I packed my bags and got ready to board a plane the next afternoon. I took a chance to come to Minneapolis, but it failed. I could have given up. I would still be in Minneapolis on Food Stamps and living off of taxpayers’ money.
Don’t let the past steal your future. Never give up
Don’t let past failures stop you from trying. The worst thing you can do is give up. You will hate yourself. I know how it is. I came close to the darkness of despair many times. I fought through it, and I have never been happier.
Keep hoping and dreaming, and never give up.
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