Recently at dinner with some family and friends we got to reminiscing about the “old days” and one of the topics that came up was how poor we were growing up and we were all sitting around sharing stories of our struggles. Some of the statements that came out are included in the list below:
“When my mom and dad got together she literally sat on a milk crate while eating dinner when my dad was in school. They literally had nothing.”
“When we ran away from my father we literally had only the clothes on our back and what we could fit in our little suitcases in a hurry. When we went back, he had burned almost everything out of spite – even our toys and school awards. Thank gosh for the thrift-store. You could get a lot with only a few dollars back then.”
“There was a time that we where I stood on on a milk crate, with an old tarp draped around me, while my mom used a flower watering can to pour warm water over my head. That was my shower when I started my freshman year of high school. We were homeless.”
“There was a time in our lives when were were struggling financially so we had to sell the diamond out of my wedding ring knowing that I could probably never get another one like it.”
“There was a time when I was being bullied at school and accused of prank calling this girl’s house. I told her I didn’t even have a house let alone a phone so she was bitching at the wrong person. I guess she didn’t know I was homeless.”
“When we first started out we had the house but not much furniture. We used a blow up air mattress as a sofa for a while.”
“There was a time where all five of us were living in a little overhead camper. It was small.”
“We lived on a diet of hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti because it was cheap and you could get by on $10.00 a week for groceries if that is what you purchased. I guess it was more important for my dad to buy his work buddies steak dinners and get his drugs and alcohol than actually feed his family.”
“I remember the year that my cousins got literally everything for Christmas – new ski gear, a Nintendo, and the Duck Tails stuffed animals. That was the same year that we saw the local fire department food truck, the fire department Santa…and mom got me a dictionary to help me with school and a warm coat.”
“Well, we were rich! You know, we had the double wide trailer.”
If there was one thing I realized is that we have ALL been there. We have ALL struggled in one way or another. The best part of these stories? No one is homeless anymore. No one is hungry anymore. No one is really still struggling for money for the basics. Everyone in this group is either a successful professional or entrepreneur…and not a single one of them had anything handed to them ever. It just goes to show you that just because you start off with little means doesn’t mean that you have to stay there. It also doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you if you don’t have everything. Circumstances don’t define you but your attitude does. I’m proud of my struggles. They have made me who I am and I wouldn’t change it.
Be humble. Be kind. And remember it’s okay to have both roots and wings. Don’t be affraid to fly.
Do you have a story like this to share? I want to hear about it. Click on “Submit Your Story” and tell me all about it. I’d love the opportunity to share your experience.
#NotAVictim #ImASurvivor
~ Memoirs of a Strong Woman ~ 