But I am someone who has lived outdoors — not just for a while, but for years on end. During those years, I associated largely with others who were in the same boat. I learned how such people generally speak of themselves. As a result, I use the words "outside" and "outdoors" more than either of the other two--and I feel compelled to explain why.
I consider myself to be in the ideal position to express what homelessness is actually like. That is, from the perspective of those of us who have lived it.
I first found myself homeless and close to crazy in the Florida Keys seven years earlier. I was pretty sure, at that point, I was going to hell and was being punished for things had transpired in my childhood.
The main activity for celebrating Martinmas is a lantern walk. We meet in Cannon Hill Park, the children bearing the lanterns they made in class, and everyone sings a simple song as we walk around the pond.