by Meghan R. Coleman

Created on: June 02, 2008

Poverty is a sad subject to know about. It is even more devastating to live it. Poverty is not something that was hard to come by, and it has not always been my lifestyle. Some people may never know anything but poverty, and have a hard time understanding that it doesn't have to always be that way. Because they don't know the other side of poverty, they may never understand that things can be better. This type of thinking can lead to criminal acts. Poverty can lead to worse things such as crime, but sometimes it also can teach life lessons, like how to survive with out an I-pod.

I have never owned an I-pod, although it may be nice someday. There are other things out there that are more important. Such as clothes. Clothes are a nice thing to have, especially if you have a different selection, instead of only having enough to make four different outfits. I know that if I have two pairs of pants, and two different shirts, I can almost make it a week without wearing the exact same outfit.

Another thing that is nice to have is food. Sweets are great, but soup and a sandwich is even better, because at least I know I can get full. I don't mind macaroni & cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner; because at least it is something to eat. If I get tired of a certain food, I can choose to wait until I am extremely hungry, at least that way I'll have more for a longer period of time.

The best thing to have in life, and I whole-heartedly believe this, is a place to call home. I can live with family or in a motel, and it is a roof over my head, but it is not permanent.
Being stable is something that I look forward to everyday, it is what I miss most from my previous life.

It could be worse, I tell myself this everyday. I could live in a shelter, with no family, all by myself. So I am not completely in poverty, I do have love and support. Since we live together, we do not eat poorly anymore. We borrow a car, a couple of rooms, food, and many other things. It is depressing, but at least we have it, and are grateful. Because I was not always like this, I will not always be like this.

Things will get better someday. This what I have learned from poverty. I can go through life knowing "at least". At least I have what I do have. It could be worse. You learn to appreciate things. There are days, that I just feel like giving into drugs, and stealing to survive. But knowing at least I have the freedom to make the choice, is much better than not having a choice to get better.

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