First of all, I've been coming to StephenKing.com for quite some time, but I decided to join this forum after I discovered there was no real way to message him directly to express my gratitude to him. The title of my thread is why I'm writing. As of today, I've been homeless for exactly 219 days. I am employed, but I only work part-time at my job & they haven't given me the opportunity to move up to full-time, even though I've worked there for a year & a half. My job is also 100% commission, so I make no hourly whatsoever (unbelievable, right?), so my income is very limited. Partial unemployment benefits helped me until May of 2012, & then those stopped, so into my car I went, & there I have remained for the last 7+ months. So why is the title of this thread "homeless, but grateful", you may ask? I shall answer. When I realized I was going to be homeless for a little while, & knowing I'd be without a tv as well, I decided that it was high time to drag out my collection of books & give them a second (or third, or in some cases, 10th) read. I started with my non-Stephen King novels & finished them within the first 7 weeks or so. I read everywhere: in my car, sitting at a fast-food joint, in a hotel room (when I can afford to "splurge" on one), etc. It isn't uncommon for me to sit & read an entire novel in a day's time. A couple of months ago, I re-read the unabridged version of "The Stand" & finished it in 4 days. Like I said, lot of time on my hands. Anyway, once I'd read the books I owned which weren't penned by our favorite writer, I then turned to my huge collection of King novels & dove right in. I opened up a random box & pulled out the first one of his books I came across, which happened to be The Dark Half. Next came The Talisman & Black House, then Carrie, then Misery, etc. I came across Duma Key in my collection & realized I'd bought the novel & never actually sat & read it all the way through! What a delight it was to have a "new" King novel on my hands! Sometimes I read until midnight, sitting in my car in the parking lot of a Home Depot, squinting to read the words but utterly incapable of putting the book down because King has me completely hooked. Right now, I'm currently re-reading The Tommyknockers (my 3rd time reading it) & the minute I'm done writing this message, I will dive back into the novel & savor every moment of it. My gratitude to Mr. King is almost beyond words. These last 7 months have been unbelievably difficult for me, but re-reading his novels & collections of short stories have helped me pass the time, made me feel a little less lonely, made me cry, laugh, scream, growl in frustration, and, best of all, have brought back memories that I didn't realize were buried until they resurfaced & overflowed my brain. I write this message hoping that one of these days he'll come across it & realize how much his novels mean to me & how they've sustained me through this difficult period in my life. Every time I read one of his books, I thank my mother (lost tragically to a heart attack in March of 2011 at the age of 51) for putting Christine into my hands at the tender age of 13 & forever changing my life. I did NOT write this hoping for sympathy or pity or anything else. What would be the point? No, I wrote this to thank YOU, Mr. King. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for what you did for me these past 7 months. I have 4 other novels & the entire Dark Tower Collection to re-read yet, but I'm hoping my fortune will change in the next few weeks, so that way, I'll be able to enjoy your novels in the privacy of my own bedroom rather than the front seat of my Honda Accord. I am grateful to you, sir. This Constant Reader is a fan for life.
What a lovely tribute. Along with Ms. Mod, and everyone here, I'm sure, I wish you the absolute best in finding a better situation. Please come back when you can and let us know how things are going.
Inspiring words! I too often forget to appreciate my home and bed and other much-loved comforts. Sending you positive energy and hoping that your job search is fruitful! May the path grow less rocky for you soon!
....when I'd just about given up on most of human-kind, along comes "Mr. Honda".....bless you man, that was beautiful...and I hope your future is as bright as your spirit...
Here's to you and your great big spirit. Keep on keeping on, things will come around your way.
Books are truly magic carpets, I have always felt so. There has never been a hard time that books haven't sustained me through. Books are my personal favorite escape hatch.
Do you hang out at the public library much? Free internet, lots of warm quite and hanging out with us. We aren't Stephen King but, who is? Well, he is, but you get what I mean.
Homeless, But Grateful
Anyway, once I'd read the books I owned which weren't penned by our favorite writer, I then turned to my huge collection of King novels & dove right in. I opened up a random box & pulled out the first one of his books I came across, which happened to be The Dark Half. Next came The Talisman & Black House, then Carrie, then Misery, etc. I came across Duma Key in my collection & realized I'd bought the novel & never actually sat & read it all the way through! What a delight it was to have a "new" King novel on my hands! Sometimes I read until midnight, sitting in my car in the parking lot of a Home Depot, squinting to read the words but utterly incapable of putting the book down because King has me completely hooked. Right now, I'm currently re-reading The Tommyknockers (my 3rd time reading it) & the minute I'm done writing this message, I will dive back into the novel & savor every moment of it. My gratitude to Mr. King is almost beyond words. These last 7 months have been unbelievably difficult for me, but re-reading his novels & collections of short stories have helped me pass the time, made me feel a little less lonely, made me cry, laugh, scream, growl in frustration, and, best of all, have brought back memories that I didn't realize were buried until they resurfaced & overflowed my brain. I write this message hoping that one of these days he'll come across it & realize how much his novels mean to me & how they've sustained me through this difficult period in my life. Every time I read one of his books, I thank my mother (lost tragically to a heart attack in March of 2011 at the age of 51) for putting Christine into my hands at the tender age of 13 & forever changing my life. I did NOT write this hoping for sympathy or pity or anything else. What would be the point? No, I wrote this to thank YOU, Mr. King. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for what you did for me these past 7 months. I have 4 other novels & the entire Dark Tower Collection to re-read yet, but I'm hoping my fortune will change in the next few weeks, so that way, I'll be able to enjoy your novels in the privacy of my own bedroom rather than the front seat of my Honda Accord. I am grateful to you, sir. This Constant Reader is a fan for life.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks