hideaway

It's very rare that I get to travel for work, and then when I do, I am travelling on a day trip to Skid Row or the Tenderloin to connect with other housing providers so my days are often full of shelter visits, SRO rehabs, hotel conversions. Glamorous, the lot of it. But I like it because it's a new face of homelessness, with a different style or rhythm, and it energizes me and keeps me alert. I like seeing how others are making this crazy thing work. Because it's hard won, no matter what community we are in.

This week I am in the midwest - researching best practices before we begin pre-development on a new housing project. Same sort of scenarios, but the most excellent thing is I have my own hotel room for two entire nights. I shouldn't be gloating about the personal time but hell yes, I am gloating about the personal time. It's 5p and I am in for the night, perusing the room service menu, the movie options, ignoring the gym downstairs, and in general, settling myself in for a virtual carnival of blogs - to get to really sit and read what others are saying, while not having M beat me on the head w/ a spatula, or jump on top of the keyboard, or eat a magic marker because I am shirking my parental duties. I am leaving that for J-Dog tonight. (Baby, I am loving you in this moment).

It's amazing how selfish I feel now, but over the smallest things. How much more protective I am of myself, and what I am willing to do, and what I am keeping close and tight. And tonight, that is all about my personal space. I am happy to go out for beers tomorrow night, and shoot the homeless shit with others in the field, but tonight, I am in a cocoon, and I'll be floating over your way.

And the poem is cooking up nicely. I'll give it another day and then compile it. I must say, it's given me chills so far, the way some of you turn a phrase is delicious.