Homeless in lockdown

Luke and I have been bus-less since mid-May. It is now the end of August and we have lived in 14 different houses, plus two weeks of travelling in a car in the South Island.

If someone had told me this was going to happen to me five years ago, I would have laughed in their face (and then I would have pinned them against wall, pushed a blade against their neck, and force them to swear they were just kidding).

When lockdown hit, we were staying at our friends’ Hannah and Liam. We were only supposed to stay for a few days, but obviously that had to be extended.

The place was nice and they were fabulous. It was inspiring to finally live in a house that was set up for Zero Waste living, and although I did struggle with that a little I appreciated being kicked in the butt and reminded that this kind of lifestyle really isn’t hard at all (AND, it makes you feel better about yourself).

I had never felt homeless since Shid has been taken away from us. Houseless but not homeless, I used to joke. After all, Shid was just at the doctor. She was getting fixed, and she was going to be returned to us all nice and flashy and good as new.

The prospect of another lockdown had crossed my mind a few times, but that was before we knew we were going to be without Shid for this long. 

Lockdown in Shid would have been ok. (I say this, well aware that it probably wouldn’t have. In fact, this is a circumstance I’m not willing to explore.) Realistically it might have been a nightmare, but at least we would have been killing each other in our own house.

Lockdown without Shid, and without a place to stay indefinitely, was an option I wasn’t prepared for. 

Even with Hannah and Liam we had to discuss a plan of attack, since the house we were staying at didn’t belong to any of us, lockdown 2020 had been a big slap in the face (and mental sanity) for all of us, and we weren’t sure how well we would cope with this one in a new space.

Although I think we did a pretty good job (and actually had a lot of fun together), I felt like I was taking up too much space, even more than I’ve felt when staying at friends’ houses in normal circumstances.

So when my friend and colleague (and already in my bubble) Oonagh offered a room at her place, Luke and I moved in with her.

In spite of everyone around me being ridiculously kind and welcoming, I’ve never felt this homeless before. Now I really wish I had my own place.

At the end of the week we’ll be able to move somewhere we can stay indefinitely, while we wait for Shid to be all fixed and ready to roll.

I am grateful for all the support we’ve received in the past few months, and I hope I’ve been an ok guest. Everyone we stayed with made me feel at home. I just miss my real home so much.