And so begins 2024

With 2023 being so horrible overall, ending in homelessness for us, and seeming to be a fairly bad year for pretty much everyone I've talked to, it could be tempting to start 2024 either with an outright negative outlook, or the rock-bottom optimism of, "it can't get any worse."  However, not even one full day into the new year, I'm feeling overwhelmed by kindness, support, encouragement, and an affirmation that I'm a good and decent person others believe is worth investing in.

For a start, a couple of friends have once again lent their financial support to us. I'll call them Sean, Larry, and Tim. Each gave to a varying degree, but no donation was less appreciated. Sean even went above and beyond, telling us that since WINZ wasn't going to give us any accommodation supplement, he was going to give us a good chunk of what they gave him instead in a defiant "pay-it-forward" gesture. I have to say, it's helped a lot more than I thought it would, and he's said he won't take no for an answer and it won't stop until we have a permanent place to be. Hopefully that's soon, because I don't want him to regret that decision later.

In fact, I'd very much like to be able to pay people back, including and especially Anna, Tetsu, and Clancy, who all helped with the storage and moving of some of our stuff still stuck back at the city we moved away from. We've had no home to bring it to, yet, nor the finances to travel back for it or the means to cart it all back again with us. The fact they helped or even offered to help around Christmas/New Years has been tremendous, and that feeling of being looked after has definitely contributed to a good feeling about the year ahead.

Finally, and not at all least, has been the unexpected friendship we've been making with the owners of the motel we've been staying in for the last couple of weeks. For some reason Paul has decided I'd make a great motel manager, or as a couple that we could travel the country working as motel minders so others can have a break from their business. Paul asked if we could see ourselves doing such a thing, and said he'd talk to friend who might be willing to give us training and a job that might actually come with housing and solve all our problems at once. Once upon a time I dreamed of doing bed and breakfast, and I also wanted to own a farm. Running a motel would be a nice melding of those dreams, where I'd be working in hospitality without needing to make a stunning breakfast for all the guests, and I'd be looking after transient humans instead of farm animals. It helps that I like meeting people!

So this morning, on the first day of the year, I woke up very early. Turns out I was too early and ended up not starting until almost two hours later. But what happened was that Paul's wife Tracey very kindly let me tag along and learn what she does to service units. I'm getting free training, and it was so nice to have something to do and be trusted with. I'll be doing it again tomorrow and she's already said that she'll give me my own unit(s) to clean and just leave me to it and check them over later. I learned how to make the beds as well, which is the one thing about housekeeping that has always scared me. Turns out it's not that bad, I just need to practise to be faster.

I wrote in other places that I'm going to remember 2023 as the year my life changed. I'm now in a new location and I'm still becoming a better and better person. Now, it seems, it might be the year where the idea I could run a motel was introduced. Who knows how I'll look back at this moment in my life? It feels like higher powers are at work around me once again. It's been a long time, but even with the prospect of moving into a tent in just over a week, I absolutely feel like I'm moving forward in life again.

Here's to a new year!