5 ms·

There was a homeless person who was well known in my home town (not a town that you'd typically find homeless people living in. In fact I think in the couple o

There was a homeless person who was well known in my home town (not a town that you'd typically find homeless people living in. In fact I think in the couple of decades I lived there, he was the only one I ever saw). He never seemed to beg, always politely refused any aid. He was so well known, people had offered him beds for the night, but no. He liked being outside in the fresh air. Eventually he passed, and of course it was mentioned in the local newspaper, along with the revelation that he was, in fact, wealthy. He just chose to live that way.

DoreenMichele 7y ago
Someone I know IRL told me a similar anecdote about a guy sleeping in the bushes in front of a building. People periodically called the cops on him but to no avail because he owned the building.
- rocky1138 7y ago
  I really envy someone with the creativity and self confidence to live life how they want it, no matter how the rest of the world views it. Your story is how a lot of playing characters end up in elder scrolls games.
- newnewpdro 7y ago
  I sleep outside on my property all the time, it's the bestest.
  - henvic 7y ago
    but do you shower and make sure you enjoy life, right? I ask this out of curiosity and to try to understand your motives. If you just happen to like to be in the open for a while, I totally understand.
    - newnewpdro 7y ago
      Sleeping outdoors someplace where the climate makes it perfectly comfortable and the environment perfectly safe is a luxury, it's the ideal IMHO. Sleeping indoors is a compromise made because it's too unsafe and/or uncomfortable (or socially unacceptable) to do it without shelter. Think about it. People generally love the seasons when they can sleep comfortably indoors with the windows open all night; fresh air, no blankets or at most a clean linen sheet. Well, given the right environment and season, doing it outside is a notch better than indoors with the windows open. My property is in the rural Mojave desert. There are no Mosquitoes and rarely > 30% humidity, and much of the year the night climate is so perfect you can sleep outside with no blankets or anything, even clothing optional. I prefer a mesh tent to keep scorpions and snakes out when on the ground, optional on the deck. All this with a sky so clear and free of light pollution I can watch the Milky Way until passing out. With regards to showering and enjoying life... I don't think those are really relevant to my comment and don't know how to answer them other than the obvious "yes, I bathe when necessary. Yes, I enjoy life."
      - mindentropy 7y ago
        Many people in India in the rural side sleep on the terraces. It becomes too hot and stuffy to sleep indoors and also if there are power cuts. Generally they sleep on a "Charpai". When I was young we had a lot of power cuts in India and we used to head over to the terrace to sleep in the summers. For mosquitoes we used to coat our skin with an insect repellent cream called "Odomos".
        DoreenMichele 7y ago
        Sleeping on the porch was actually quite common in the US not that many decades ago. http://gothamist.com/2016/07/22/nyc_fire_escape_summer_flashback.php http://gothamist.com/2016/07/22/nyc_fire_escape_summer_flash... https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-amazing-sleeping-porch/ https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-amazing-sleeping-porch/
      - henvic 7y ago
        You definitely enjoy life. I have been a few times to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree. One of the few times I ever saw a perfectly clear sky (others were during a trip to Big Sur and in Iceland). Mojave is still on my TODO list. I hope I can go there next year. And I would sleep outside too if I had property there (but in a hammock :)).
    - Creationer 7y ago
      Outside you get to enjoy low-CO2 air of 415ppm. Inside, in an 'insulated' and sealed apartment, CO2 levels will exceed 1000ppm in a few hours, which has negative consequences for human cognition and sleep quality. I'd recommend buying a CO2 monitor for your home and keep a window slightly ajar permanently, and at least airing out your house/apartment for a few hours each day. This is another major problem with fossil fuels - with higher atmospheric CO2 levels, it becomes harder to ventilate buildings. We need to bring more external air in to achieve the same effect, which also means higher heating/cooling costs.
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    I have a condition that makes me prone to getting really badly shocked from static electricity. This stopped while I was homeless for several years. Then I tripped across research about how direct contact with the ground may be beneficial to your health due to grounding you and discharging excess electricity. Suddenly, it made sense that I was no longer getting horribly shocked on a regular basis. I hate camping. I've only ever done it while homeless. But if my tendency to get shocked ever returns, I may need to make an effort to camp occasionally so I can sleep outside with little between me and the ground.
    - newnewpdro 7y ago
      What do you hate about camping? It's kind of surprising considering you seem to prefer sleeping on the floor.
    - SmellyGeekBoy 7y ago
      Did you try different footwear? I went through a period of this as a child but it completely went away when I got my next pair of shoes.
      - DoreenMichele 7y ago
        I do generally live in cheap rubbery sandals these days. It has crossed my mind that might be a factor. IIRC, leather shoes are recommended for grounding purposes. So if I ever do get a real job, I should be able to meet dress code without sabotaging my health by getting leather shoes appropriate for the office. I currently work from home and don't need to meet any kind of dress code, which has been a godsend for dealing with my health issues. But it's actually a known and documented side effect of my condition. In fact, when I brought it up on a support list, I was told that one obscure test for my condition involves measuring electrical potential in the body or something arcane sounding like that. Dietary changes are likely a factor as well. But I haven't specifically seen research saying "Thus and such dietary changes are known to improve grounding." whereas I have seen research concerning walking barefoot on the ground (or otherwise having contact with the ground) and wearing the right shoes.
duxup 7y ago
There was a documentary about people who road freight trains illegally, basically hopping on them as a means to of transportation for the poor, run aways, etc. Several people they interviewed did it even after they settled down. Something just drew them to it. They seemed to love the adventure, seeing the country, not knowing where they would end up or what they would see. The randomness of the adventure sounded appealing.
- Cheyana 7y ago
  I saw something similar covered on CBS Sunday Morning, with one older married guy that did it for about a month every year. His family just accepted that it was something he liked to do.
- Lucadg 7y ago
  We've wandered for the largest part of our existence and just recently settled down. We're still hardwired for that and some of us find immense joy in that.
- rjbwork 7y ago
  Lots of punks in the crust and anarcho scenes do this kind of thing. I knew a couple back in the day, and watch a former one and her husband on youtube. To be honest I wish I'd done it in my youth. It's way too risky and the legal consequences are dire. I know better now.
  - paulie_a 7y ago
    In your youth you had a lot more things ahead of you. If anything doing it when you are older is probably better.
    - rjbwork 7y ago
      Society is more willing to forgive youthful indiscretions than adult flights of fancy. And it takes a certain kind of youthful spryness and daring that I've got less of an ability and appetite for as I've gotten a bit older.
maxxxxx 7y ago
I may live like that if I knew I had a fallback. Homelessness sucks mainly if it's your only option.

DoreenMichele 7y ago

Someone I know IRL told me a similar anecdote about a guy sleeping in the bushes in front of a building. People periodically called the cops on him but to no avail because he owned the building.

rocky1138 7y ago
I really envy someone with the creativity and self confidence to live life how they want it, no matter how the rest of the world views it. Your story is how a lot of playing characters end up in elder scrolls games.
newnewpdro 7y ago
I sleep outside on my property all the time, it's the bestest.
- henvic 7y ago
  but do you shower and make sure you enjoy life, right? I ask this out of curiosity and to try to understand your motives. If you just happen to like to be in the open for a while, I totally understand.
  - newnewpdro 7y ago
    Sleeping outdoors someplace where the climate makes it perfectly comfortable and the environment perfectly safe is a luxury, it's the ideal IMHO. Sleeping indoors is a compromise made because it's too unsafe and/or uncomfortable (or socially unacceptable) to do it without shelter. Think about it. People generally love the seasons when they can sleep comfortably indoors with the windows open all night; fresh air, no blankets or at most a clean linen sheet. Well, given the right environment and season, doing it outside is a notch better than indoors with the windows open. My property is in the rural Mojave desert. There are no Mosquitoes and rarely > 30% humidity, and much of the year the night climate is so perfect you can sleep outside with no blankets or anything, even clothing optional. I prefer a mesh tent to keep scorpions and snakes out when on the ground, optional on the deck. All this with a sky so clear and free of light pollution I can watch the Milky Way until passing out. With regards to showering and enjoying life... I don't think those are really relevant to my comment and don't know how to answer them other than the obvious "yes, I bathe when necessary. Yes, I enjoy life."
    - mindentropy 7y ago
      Many people in India in the rural side sleep on the terraces. It becomes too hot and stuffy to sleep indoors and also if there are power cuts. Generally they sleep on a "Charpai". When I was young we had a lot of power cuts in India and we used to head over to the terrace to sleep in the summers. For mosquitoes we used to coat our skin with an insect repellent cream called "Odomos".
      - DoreenMichele 7y ago
        Sleeping on the porch was actually quite common in the US not that many decades ago. http://gothamist.com/2016/07/22/nyc_fire_escape_summer_flashback.php http://gothamist.com/2016/07/22/nyc_fire_escape_summer_flash... https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-amazing-sleeping-porch/ https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-amazing-sleeping-porch/
    - henvic 7y ago
      You definitely enjoy life. I have been a few times to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree. One of the few times I ever saw a perfectly clear sky (others were during a trip to Big Sur and in Iceland). Mojave is still on my TODO list. I hope I can go there next year. And I would sleep outside too if I had property there (but in a hammock :)).
  - Creationer 7y ago
    Outside you get to enjoy low-CO2 air of 415ppm. Inside, in an 'insulated' and sealed apartment, CO2 levels will exceed 1000ppm in a few hours, which has negative consequences for human cognition and sleep quality. I'd recommend buying a CO2 monitor for your home and keep a window slightly ajar permanently, and at least airing out your house/apartment for a few hours each day. This is another major problem with fossil fuels - with higher atmospheric CO2 levels, it becomes harder to ventilate buildings. We need to bring more external air in to achieve the same effect, which also means higher heating/cooling costs.
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  I have a condition that makes me prone to getting really badly shocked from static electricity. This stopped while I was homeless for several years. Then I tripped across research about how direct contact with the ground may be beneficial to your health due to grounding you and discharging excess electricity. Suddenly, it made sense that I was no longer getting horribly shocked on a regular basis. I hate camping. I've only ever done it while homeless. But if my tendency to get shocked ever returns, I may need to make an effort to camp occasionally so I can sleep outside with little between me and the ground.
  - newnewpdro 7y ago
    What do you hate about camping? It's kind of surprising considering you seem to prefer sleeping on the floor.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 7y ago
    Did you try different footwear? I went through a period of this as a child but it completely went away when I got my next pair of shoes.
    - DoreenMichele 7y ago
      I do generally live in cheap rubbery sandals these days. It has crossed my mind that might be a factor. IIRC, leather shoes are recommended for grounding purposes. So if I ever do get a real job, I should be able to meet dress code without sabotaging my health by getting leather shoes appropriate for the office. I currently work from home and don't need to meet any kind of dress code, which has been a godsend for dealing with my health issues. But it's actually a known and documented side effect of my condition. In fact, when I brought it up on a support list, I was told that one obscure test for my condition involves measuring electrical potential in the body or something arcane sounding like that. Dietary changes are likely a factor as well. But I haven't specifically seen research saying "Thus and such dietary changes are known to improve grounding." whereas I have seen research concerning walking barefoot on the ground (or otherwise having contact with the ground) and wearing the right shoes.

duxup 7y ago

There was a documentary about people who road freight trains illegally, basically hopping on them as a means to of transportation for the poor, run aways, etc. Several people they interviewed did it even after they settled down. Something just drew them to it. They seemed to love the adventure, seeing the country, not knowing where they would end up or what they would see. The randomness of the adventure sounded appealing.

Cheyana 7y ago
I saw something similar covered on CBS Sunday Morning, with one older married guy that did it for about a month every year. His family just accepted that it was something he liked to do.
Lucadg 7y ago
We've wandered for the largest part of our existence and just recently settled down. We're still hardwired for that and some of us find immense joy in that.
rjbwork 7y ago
Lots of punks in the crust and anarcho scenes do this kind of thing. I knew a couple back in the day, and watch a former one and her husband on youtube. To be honest I wish I'd done it in my youth. It's way too risky and the legal consequences are dire. I know better now.
- paulie_a 7y ago
  In your youth you had a lot more things ahead of you. If anything doing it when you are older is probably better.
  - rjbwork 7y ago
    Society is more willing to forgive youthful indiscretions than adult flights of fancy. And it takes a certain kind of youthful spryness and daring that I've got less of an ability and appetite for as I've gotten a bit older.

maxxxxx 7y ago

I may live like that if I knew I had a fallback. Homelessness sucks mainly if it's your only option.