7:30 a.m. I wake up, it’s still raining, it started raining around 10:30 last night. It rained hard with lots of wind. I’m always afraid that the wind will rip my tarps or unsettle my tent. Because of the rain I’ve chosen to just rummage around in my dry tent. Work on some videos. Do a Facebook post. And catch up on my blogs.
12:30 p.m. There are two meals that I will be going to today. One is at the recovery exchange Recovery Center at 35 exchange Street in Lynn. That meal starts at 2:00 p.m. From there I have been invited by Nikki to go to the low threshold housing complex on Whiting Street in Lynn to have some Thanksgiving dinner. Nikki also got me some blankets for my tent to keep me warm. It’s still raining, but I get my gear together and put on my rain poncho and start trekking out to my car.
1:05 p.m. I’ve made it back to my small car. It’s raining out, and I’m not going to ride my bike in the rain. I drive over to the recovery center and I park. There’s a crystal store near the recovery center so I go inside and I buy a polished quartz for a friend. When I get into the recovery center I see some familiar faces. They’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen. It’s such a great atmosphere and more and more people start coming through the door. I have some conversation, and relax a bit. I have a showered in a few days and I wonder if people smell me. Around 2:15 they start serving food I grab a little bit of everything I can, and I have an amazing meal with amazing people.
2:50 p.m. I get a text from Nikki asking me when I will get to the low threshold house on whiting Street in Lynn. She says that she will be leaving at 4:00. I tell her that I’m on my way. Low threshold housing is housing for people that are homeless and struggle with substance use disorder. I arrive at the low threshold housing around 3:05 p.m. I’m greeted with big smiles from the workers that are cooking and amazing Thanksgiving dinner for the residents. I’m able to spend some time with the workers in the house and the residents. It is a beautiful place that has been redone and provides homes for people who otherwise wouldn’t have a home. We have a good conversation, and Nikki gives me blankets, and gives me a neck pillow as well. I’m so grateful for this.
4:30 p.m. I say my goodbyes to everybody at the low threshold housing. I head out with my blankets and my pillow and I drive back to my camp. I parked my car nearby in a safe place, I packed my hiking pack with blankets, and I biked over to the entrance of the woods. It’s not completely dark yet. I trek out to my camp and I make it an early night.
7:30 p.m. after messing around online on the phones for a while. I decide to shut everything off and turn in for the night normally nestled with two sleeping bags and four blankets.
