Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
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SCRATCH BEGINNINGS o Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream Adam Shepard Copyright © 2008 by Adam Shepard All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. SB Press 500 North Street Chapel Hill, NC 27514 www.scratchbeginnings.com ISBN-13: 978-0-9796926-0-4 ISBN-10: 0-9796926-0-1 Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2007905879 Printed in the United States of America For Derrick, who knows what he wants and goes for it. And for BG and Omar, who are almost there. Contents INTRODUCTION July 24—Setting Up … … … … … …1 ONE Welcome to Crisis Ministries … … … … 6 TWO EasyLabor … … … … … … … …21 THREE Another Day, Another Dollar … … … … …37 FOUR Big Babies … … … … … … … …53 FIVE Sundays with George … … … … … …65 SIX Hustle Time … … … … … … …80 SEVEN Job Hunting 101 with Professor Phil Coleman … … … … … … …93 EIGHT Put Up or Shut Up … … … … … …103 NINE “First and Last Day” … … … … … 113 TEN Adventure in Moving … … … … … 129 ELEVEN Movin’ on Up … … … … … … …145 TWELVE Workers’ Consternation … … … … …165 THIRTEEN Winter with Bubble Gum … … … … …179 FOURTEEN Culture Shocked … … … … … … 194 FIFTEEN Fighting for Respect … … … … … 206 SIXTEEN One Last Move … … … … … … 215 EPILOGUE A Year Later: … … … … … … …223 About the Author … … … … … …235 Acknowledgments There are a number of people that deserve more than a simple “thanks” for their assistance in the writing of this book. First shout-outs to Amy Brust and Nicki Jhabvala, who turned an amateurish first draft into a respectable second. To the rest of my review crew, who should not by any means be discounted for being “the rest of my review crew:” Molly Beam, Angela Caira, Neil Cotiaux, Liz Duhamel, Sarah Haynes, Jen Golojuch, Timmy McAleer, Jaime-Lyn Pickles, Jan Richards, Surry Roberts, and Michael Thomas. A special thanks to Iain Levison and Fred Hobson—authors much more skilled than I will ever be—who kept me grounded. To Teresa Pierrie, my ninth grade English teacher, who sparked a passion in writing that I may not have discovered on my own. And then showed me how to do it. And, most importantly, to my parents—George and Joanie Shepard—who instilled in me the knowledge to conceive such a project and inspired me with the courage to complete it. Disclaimer and Author’s Notes Please be forewarned that my story does contain some profane language. I considered censoring the entire book in an effort to reach a wider audience, but, in the end, I decided it would take away from some of the people that I met along the way. Submerged in a world that used cursing as a form of expression, I wrote it like they said it, even toning it back somewhat with guys like Phil Coleman and Brooklyn Bonesy. It is NOT recommended that the reader repeats the exact actions contained herein. By reading this book, the reader agrees to release the author, the publisher, the book seller, and all other interested parties from any liability stemming from events related to the contents of this book. The truth is that I wouldn’t wish my experience—especially the first 70 days—on anyone. Go to school, find your passion, save your money, live your dreams. Finally, last names have been changed in order to protect the privacy of the people with whom I was associated throughout my year. Additionally, some of the names of the organizations with which I was associated have been changed. INTRODUCTION July 24—Setting Up o y mom is nervous. My pops seems more excited about it than I M am. My brother anxiously awaits my departure so he can take possession of my bed and all of my clothes after I leave. My friend Sana is stimulated by curiosity, while Matt thinks I may have simply gone mad. And maybe he is right. I am very frustrated. I am frustrated with the whining and complaining. Frustrated with the materialistic individualism that seems to be shaping every thirteen-year-old to be the next teen diva. Frustrated with the lethargy and lack of drive. Frustrated at always hearing how it “used to be” when people talk about the good ol’ days in the same breath as their perceived demise of America. I am really, really frustrated with the poor attitudes that seem to have swept over my peer group. Frustrated with hearing “I don’t have” rather than “Let’s see what I can do with what I do have.” So, I have decided to attempt to demonstrate that it doesn’t have — 1 — Scratch BEGINNINGS to be that way. There are many ways that I could go about this. I could work my way through years and years of school, and when the time came for me to write my dissertation, I could turn my teachings into a book perhaps worthy of being published that talked about the science of change or the science of attitude. I would write a comma and PhD next to my name on the cover and, based on my experience, people would know that whatever I had to say was inevitably true. I could become the subject of a psychological case study on change that would highlight the importance of adopting a new way of thinking. I would find myself at the mercy of one of those aforementioned PhDs, hoping that he or she knew enough to use my talents—or lack thereof—productively. Or, I can take matters into my own hands. And that’s what I have decided to do. I have had the idea in my pocket, itching to come out, a plan that I have been toying with since high school. And now that I am fresh out of college, broke, and bordering on homelessness anyway, it seems like as good a time as any to let it out. Here’s my premise: I am going to start almost literally from scratch with one 8’ x 10’ tarp, a sleeping bag, an empty gym bag, $25, and the clothes on my back. Via train, I will be dropped at a random place somewhere in the southeastern United States that is not in my home state of North Carolina. I have 365 days to become free of the realities of homelessness and become a “regular” member of society. After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2,500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business. There are a few ground rules that I need to establish in an effort to keep some critics at bay. On paper, my previous life doesn’t exist for this one year. I cannot use any of my previous contacts, my college — 2 — July 24—SETTING UP education, or my credit history. For the sake of this project, I have a high school diploma, and I will have recently moved to my new town. Additionally, I cannot beg for money or use services that others are not at liberty to use. Aside from illegally sleeping in a park or under a bridge, I am free to do whatever I need to do within the confines of the law in order to accomplish my goal. Well, that all sounds simple enough. Now for a few disclaimers on my behalf. First of all, I feel it is necessary to establish that I have no political affiliation—right wing, left wing, conservative, liberal, Republican, or Democrat. For the next year, they’re all the same to me. Socioeconomically speaking, my story is a rebuttal to Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, the books that spoke on the death of the American Dream. With investigative projects of her own, Ehrenreich attempted to establish that working stiffs are doomed to live in the same disgraceful conditions forever. I reject that theory, and my story is a search to evaluate if hard work and discipline provide any payoff whatsoever or if they are, as Ehrenreich suggests, futile pursuits. Second, I am not an author or a journalist. I only mention this to establish that my intent in this project is not to produce a divine work of literature where carefully comprised prose seems to dance sublimely off the page. I’m just a regular guy, so whatever you read is straight from my thoughts to the paper. In a way, I believe that my untapped mind will add to the value of my writing. After all, I’m going into this without making any assumptions, which means unbiased reporting. Third, it is important that I note that evaluators of this project are going to call me on all sorts of technicalities. Whether it be the absence of a family to tend to, as is the case for many in the real world living in similar circumstances, or my innate sense of adventure or my overall health that plays to my advantage—all are fair criticisms — 3 — Scratch BEGINNINGS and worth noting. However, my hope is that these thoughts will not take away from the tedious task at hand or the theme that I intend to represent. I also want to point out that I am not going to attempt to strengthen my story by flooding you with a wide range of statistics and information from books or magazines or other periodicals.