Ellyn Oaksmith's Blog - Posts Tagged "homeless"
The Secret to Living
Toiling away in an imaginary world where characters are confronted with their own stupid mistakes and those of others, it's easy to believe in happy endings. All my screenplays have them. Damaged people move forward. Sad people smile. Everybody learns something, usually how not to be afraid.
Courage is a favorite word of mine. I've needed it in the upside down world of the LA entertainment industry, on fishing boats in Alaska and fighting the writer's ugly little frenemy: depression. I've learned that the absurdity and fundamental unfairness of life is best met, if possible, with kindness and a smile. Or crying in the shower. Take your pick.
Last night my youngest daughter came with me to drop off a few things I'd purchased from Costco for the tent city down the street. It pops up every year in the church parking lot three blocks down. (And is featured quite prominently in a few scenes in my upcoming book.)When it was first proposed, some people in my neighborhood objected. One man spent a lot of time in his garage making signs that read: NO TENT CITY. He and his wife each have one of those Christian fish logos on their cars. A lot of people agreed with Mr. Sign-Making NIMBY and tried to blame a rash of house robberies on the first tent city. The robberies continued after tent city packed up and moved onto the next church.
I'm not a member of the church but I am a big believer in being a good neighbor. I asked the outreach coordinator for a grocery list. My offering felt puny when greeted by the smiles, thanks and good cheer of the men (don't know where the women were) in the make-shift outdoor tarp office. Two of them were on computers. One manned the desk. The entire place, which houses a lot of people, is made of tarps, rope, duct tape with many electrical cord snaking their way out, like tails.
We'd bought batteries for flashlights and cereal for breakfast. You'd have thought, from their reaction, that we'd delivered a barbecued steer and a floor show. On the way home, my daughter made some sage observations about her new-found perspective. (Lord I hope it lasts.) I made a mental note to bring my other child along next week. We pulled into the driveway of our 2 story warm, cozy house, complete with a dog, elderly cat and fireplace feeling like the luckiest people in the world.
Back to writing fiction. The above episode might very well figure into a future book about how life can turn on a dime.
Happy Thursday!
Courage is a favorite word of mine. I've needed it in the upside down world of the LA entertainment industry, on fishing boats in Alaska and fighting the writer's ugly little frenemy: depression. I've learned that the absurdity and fundamental unfairness of life is best met, if possible, with kindness and a smile. Or crying in the shower. Take your pick.
Last night my youngest daughter came with me to drop off a few things I'd purchased from Costco for the tent city down the street. It pops up every year in the church parking lot three blocks down. (And is featured quite prominently in a few scenes in my upcoming book.)When it was first proposed, some people in my neighborhood objected. One man spent a lot of time in his garage making signs that read: NO TENT CITY. He and his wife each have one of those Christian fish logos on their cars. A lot of people agreed with Mr. Sign-Making NIMBY and tried to blame a rash of house robberies on the first tent city. The robberies continued after tent city packed up and moved onto the next church.
I'm not a member of the church but I am a big believer in being a good neighbor. I asked the outreach coordinator for a grocery list. My offering felt puny when greeted by the smiles, thanks and good cheer of the men (don't know where the women were) in the make-shift outdoor tarp office. Two of them were on computers. One manned the desk. The entire place, which houses a lot of people, is made of tarps, rope, duct tape with many electrical cord snaking their way out, like tails.
We'd bought batteries for flashlights and cereal for breakfast. You'd have thought, from their reaction, that we'd delivered a barbecued steer and a floor show. On the way home, my daughter made some sage observations about her new-found perspective. (Lord I hope it lasts.) I made a mental note to bring my other child along next week. We pulled into the driveway of our 2 story warm, cozy house, complete with a dog, elderly cat and fireplace feeling like the luckiest people in the world.
Back to writing fiction. The above episode might very well figure into a future book about how life can turn on a dime.
Happy Thursday!
