Sharing the world with transient people


In a long life, I've spent a lot of time sharing the world with transient people. I've always been an urban hiker, and whether it was in Phoenix, Santa Barbara, or Los Angeles, I've seen a lot of transients.

You can, of course, call them by other names, such as hobos, or drifters, and you can even call them homeless. And the one thing that is consistent with them all is that they're always on the move. Some of them sleep on the beach, some of them drift from town to town, some stay with people until it's time for them to move on (this is often called "couch surfing", by the way).

If your only encounter with these people is seeing them as you drive by with the windows rolled up, I really don't blame you. Quite often these people are very dangerous. Depending on the neighborhood, you can compare it to "Lion Country Safari", where you're fine inside of a car, and sometimes even that isn't enough - you need to stay away from those places!

Speaking for myself, I've never had an interest in being transient. I like my comforts, and I've been willing to do the kind of things that pay for a roof over my head, and a comfortable place to sleep. And yes, I've been lucky!

But many people wouldn't want to be tied down to rent, or a mortgage, or waking up to an alarm clock every morning to go to a job. I always wanted a house in the suburbs, which I got, but just because it's what I want doesn't mean that it's what everyone else wants.

The word "transient" means "lasting only for a short time; impermanent" or it can be a person who is staying or working in a place for only a short time. And that's all it means. And when you see the word as that, you realize that we're all transient, just in varying amounts. And that's the point.

So let's be clear here, a transient isn't someone who has decided to live permanently in my front yard. They may cross it briefly, but they know that there's a cranky old guy who is gonna yell at them to "get off my lawn"! and they'll move on.

Move along.

You knew I could not stay for long when you asked me
To come over in the wee hours of the morning.
I said I could not let the sunrise catch me sleeping
And that is why I've given you fair warning.
And though you might have loved me like I never ever have been loved before
Your front door is open and I've got to keep on moving.

I'm a drifter and I've seen the rain
I'm a drifter and I've felt the pain,
The pain that comes with loneliness
So I drift from town to town searching all around
Looking for the answer to my sorrow
And if the answer is you then I'll be back tomorrow.


Thank you for the encouragement! If you want to see daily pics of my adventures on my recumbent trike in suburban Phoenix (just for fun, of course!) you can follow me on Buy me a coffee, and you can buy me a coffee if you'd like to:

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