I stayed until closing time at Bardog Tavern Friday night/Saturday at 3 AM. Since I have no place to go, I try to maximize time spent in central heat and a strong Wi-Fi signal.
I had 4 beers, but other people around me paid for 2 – so my tab was only $8.78. Not bad for six hours of conversations with awesome friends.
You know, this reminds me of something I used to write about on Medium.com. No matter how bleak my current situation looks, I maintain a gratitude practice, being thankful for whatever abundance I receive. Because there’s always abundance. Acknowledging it and being grateful signals to the universe (or God, All That Is, your Higher Power, however you think of it) “Yesssss! More of this, please!”
So, what was I grateful for last night?
- The fact that such a wonderful neighborhood bar has been so easily accessible to me, and had been for 15 years
- That two of my best friends, Butt Slut #1 and Butt Slut #2, were sitting with me
- That I met several other awesome people while there
- Two PBRs that other people generously paid for
- – Having ample cash to purchase two more PBRs without feeling a sense of money scarcity (the scarcity mentality can KILL a gratitude practice)
- – Two awesome bartenders, London and Nick, behind the bar
By the way, I left London and Nick a $3.22 tip for a total of an even $12. That’s 37%, considerably higher than the industry-standard 20%. Why did I do that when I was nearly broke? It’s also part of the gratitude practice. It tells the universe, “If you give me abundance, I will spread it around.”
3:00 AM came, and it was time for bed… well, for everyone in the room except me! I planned to meet my friends Randy, Theresa, and Butt Slut #1 back at Bardog at 11:00, so I had 8 hours to fill with walking the streets of Downtown and whatever other activities I could find.
Mostly walking. My usual route is on Main Street. There was a light rain throughout the night. I had on a water-resistant jacket on, and I pulled the hood of my New Zealand Kiwi hoodie up over my head.
As I walked close to places with free Wi-Fi on (or near) Main, I’d pull out my phone and check messages, email, and Facebook. Since I no longer have cellular service, I gotta get my fix when I can.
“What time does City Market open?” I thought as late morning slowly crept in. “I’d love to get a Mountain Dew and a sausage biscuit and sit in their cafe area with my laptop.”
It was not to be, however – City Market’s sign said Saturday’s opening time was “0320” – and while an opening time of just after 3 AM is on my “would be nice” list, it’s not on my “expect it to happen” list. Sure enough, it didn’t. The rain got harder, soaking through my jeans. I spent the 7:00 hour huddled under an indented storefront just south of Union. As I tried to stay dry, I formulated a Plan B for breakfast.
Unfortunately that was the beginning of the single worst day I’d had since becoming homeless about a week before Christmas. Yet, I still found a way to sprinkle gratitude throughout my day. By the end of the day, though, I was just about ready to tap out to this event called “life.”
I didn’t, though. It’s now Sunday, and I’m still here. And I figured out City Market’s hours and am here on my laptop and a Mountain Dew. No sausage biscuit, though – I decided that’d be too expensive for my current budget.
This post is getting long, so I’m gonna bust it apart into 2 pieces. The second piece will be out sometime between this afternoon and Thursday, I hope. Before I go, let me bang out an expected news item on Sundays:
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL ON TV THIS WEEK
- Sunday, January 28: Memphis Grizzlies away at Indiana Pacers, 2:30 PM. TV: Bally Sports
- Sunday, January 28: Memphis Tigers away at UAB, 4:00 PM. TV: ESPN
- Monday, January 29: Memphis Grizzlies at home vs. Sacramento Kings, 7:00 PM. First 5000 get Grizzlies Mentor shirts. TV: Bally Sports
- Wednesday, January 31: Memphis Tigers at home vs. Rice, 7:00 PM. TV: ESPN+
- Thursday, February 1: Memphis Grizzlies at home vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:00 PM. First 5000 fans get a Grizzlies Black History Month scarf. TV: Bally Sports
- Friday, February 2: Memphis Grizzlies at home vs Golden State Warriors, 7:00 PM. First 5000 get a Desmond Bane mini-hoop. TV: Bally Sports
- Saturday, February 3: Memphis Tigers at home vs. Wichita State, noon. TV: CBS
- Sunday, February 4: Memphis Grizzlies away at Boston, 5:00 PM. TV: Bally Sports