How Did I Get Here?

"The one who follows the crowd, will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been." ~Albert Einstein

My life experiences taught me to be resourceful and resilient. I have lived many lives and had the pleasure of meeting many people from different corners of the world. Many of those people are no longer in my life, but definitely contributed to certain chapters. As this chapter comes to a close and a new one begins, I look back and see how far I have come and all that led to me being here.

So, how did I get here? Well, there’s the long story and then the “tldr” version, which isn’t as exciting. Essentially, I made a series of decisions and the resulting life altering events led me to be at this exact time and place.

Here, right now. As I type this, it has all led to this.

So, how did I get here? To truly understand, we have to go back. I mean, way back. All the way back. The year was 1984…

Just kidding…

Sort of…

I do want to tell the whole story, but that would fill an entire book (wink, wink)!

In this version, my goal is to break down the major events of this last year and how those events changed the trajectory of my future. Starting with my present predicament and retracing my steps, you’ll see how everything is connected. Even when you try to start over in a new place, you will still be there with the same lessons to learn (take it from somebody who has tried to restart a few too many times).

So, here is my current predicament. I’m homeless and jobless with only a vague idea of what my next steps will be. I am currently living in a shelter, but will soon be required to leave as I have already exceeded the length of my stay. However, I am working with a team that will help me find housing in order to better my future (just a waiting game at this moment). In the meantime, I am making significant efforts towards achieving my goals.

So how did I end up in a homeless shelter?

During my trip abroad last year, I ended up penniless and no way back to the United States. I was able to get back from the kindness of strangers as I backpacked my way from Porto to the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. While there, they helped me get a plane ticket and three days later I was back where I started.

How did I end up completely broke in a foreign country?

I was in international waters on my way to Spain when I unfortunately realized I had a large sum of money missing. By the time I knew what had happened, it was already too late to do anything about it. I spent a week in Spain figuring out a new plan. Thankfully, I still had money in my bank account and bought a bus ticket to Portugal.

How did my money go missing?

I was going to take six months to figure out a permanent living situation. I spent my first three weeks staying in hostels around London. My guess is that someone went through my pack and found my cash stash. The weather drastically began to change and caused me to become mentally unwell. I needed to escape the cold weather and so I set my sights on Southern Spain.

Why did I choose to leave the United States?

In September of last year, I had made the courageous decision to flee as I did not feel safe here. I left a home, two jobs, a car, and my family. I hopped on a plane to England armed with some cash, a backpack, suitcase and no real concrete plan for when I got there. I was determined to never have to return back. I thought the only way I was coming back was in a coffin.

After two months of near constant rain and cold, I knew I had to end my trip early and seek help. I was disappointed and upset, to say the least. It was a bittersweet moment when the plane touched down.

This is just one example of a life changing decision and the resulting consequences that followed. There were times I didn’t know what was beyond the next bend in the road, or where I would get my next meal. All I had was my faith. I knew in my heart that I was going to end up exactly where I needed to be.

So, with just a few belongings, my writing, and a heart full of faith, I enter a new and otherwise unknown chapter of my life wiser and more resourceful for the things I have lived through.

Until the next Spark,

Kat