I’ve been blessed to know people at this point in my life who know what being supportive means.

There are people I haven’t informed of my new adventure. Not because they’re mean or disdainful, but because they see being homeless as something that must be changed at any cost. I *must* go to a shelter, or I must beg someone for their spare room and bounce around from house to house imposing on people who don’t have the resources, financially or emotionally, to help me. Neither of those options help me either. Both of those situations only increase the stress that causes me to not be able to support myself in the first place.

But, I also have quite a few people in my circles of friends and acquaintances who are willing to support me without demanding something from me that I can’t give or something from themselves that they can’t give. And I am thankful.

Thankful for the people who say “check in every week so we know you’re still kicking”, people who say “have you thought about how to prepare your camper for the heavy rains? here’s my suggestions….”, people who say “so how are you going to do <insert activity here>” and then respond “hey! that’s cool!”.

That is what friends do. They don’t demand things that neither party can give. They don’t look down on each other when situations are less than optimum. They care, and they show they care by being the same way they’ve always been; laughing, telling bad jokes, offering advice, sharing their sorrows, being human. And reminding me that I’m still human too.