Pursuit of Dreams: Power House Creatives Contest: Photo Prompts

Upon deciding to participate in this week's contest, the photograph I chose from Hive account@zord's selection was one of a woman pushing her cart in the street.

Piled high almost tipping the cart were numerous unwanted items she'd collected that brought to mind images of an old saying in my country:

"One person's trash is another person's treasure."

I've found this saying to be true throughout my life. As I studied the photograph of the woman pushing the cart, several questions raced through my mind.

Was she homeless? If not homeless, did she lose her home and was required to leave with all her possessions in tow? Where is her family, and why aren't they assisting her with this heavy load?

These questions are all too familiar in any country. And the people are faceless to the societies. The reason this image affected me is that I see first hand every day individuals in this condition. The only possessions they have are the items in their baskets or carts.

^{Image by aga2rk from Pixabay}

Or, upon second glance, was the woman just a collector who took advantage of items others no longer wanted so that she could trade them for cash to supplement her income? If that's the case, then I can image what she was thinking or dreaming about...When I reach my destination and offload my collection, I'll have enough to...

There's nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams. All humans have hopes and desires. For without them, there would be nothing to look forward to. But in reality, it's hard operating from the rear, let alone catch up, and then make any advancements where you're actually in a position to see positive change in your life.

When I reflect on the pursuit of dreams in relation to the photographs above, the next images that come to mind are of the two couples who rented units in the storage facility where we house our RV.

And just like the woman in the photograph above, my mind was racing with questions about these couples. What happened to cause them to have to live in a storage facility?

This was the first time in my life I'd witnessed anyone living in those conditions. The indoor storage units they occupy are the same as the one we rent on a monthly basis: 40 ft. long x 14 in. wide.

^{Photograph of storage facility taken in 2014}

To my mind, a storage facility is only intended to store items that can't be kept at or near your home pursuant to deed restrictions or otherwise. At the least, it's meant to safe keep your possessions you don't have room for inside your own home. Management furnishes electricity to each unit, but it's not temperature controlled. That means it's extremely hot in summer; likewise, cold in winter. One can endure weather conditions if inside; however, we wondered how they would maintain their necessary health needs.

The first time we noticed that the two couples were actually living full time in the storage units was mid summer last year, 2019.

Couple No. 1, who rented the unit next to ours on the right hand side of the facility, moved in first. We initially presumed they were storing everything from their home. They extended a friendly greeting one day while we were packing for a trip. We finished and left for home without thinking anything unusual. Just a normal in and out from individuals storing their belongings.

However, early the next morning, the door to their unit was raised, and what we saw was heartbreaking. Inside was a twin bed. Outside, they stored all the items from garage. These items spilled over in front of not only our unit, but also the unit behind them. It was then we realized the situation.

The young man explained they were the victims of Hurricane Harvey that hit the Texas gulf coast in August, 2017. They were still struggling to rebuild their home and lives. They were also fearful other patrons of the storage facility would report them. Even though they frequently blocked entry to our unit, we never reported them. They needed to park their vehicle so as not to disturb other tenants. Because we were pleasant to them, perhaps they believed we wouldn't object since we only visited the facility once a week. They moved out of the storage unit in March.

We realized they were young and had dreams of lifting themselves out of their current situation.

Couple No. 2, moved in about a month later. We actually witnessed them moving into the space located directly in front of our unit on the left hand side of the facility.

When they finished unloading their entire household items, the gentleman approached us and introduced himself. He explained that he'd lost his job to an injury and was currently receiving a disability allotment. He indicated they had children and grandchildren. Each trip to the facility found them inside their unit with the door raised half way as the other couple. A small fan was the only relief from the heat.

Individuals are resourceful and can endure more than they realize when dealt difficult situations. I don't know about anyone else, but if my parents needed assistance, there was no way they'd have to reside in a storage facility. However, one never knows the true extent of a situation or the circumstances. This is especially true when you're only hearing one party's side.

Such was the case when he proudly mentioned he was going to purchase acres of land in the Texas Hill Country. I know for a fact that land in that part of Texas is expensive. Twenty acres of land sell in the minimum range of $200,000 in certain areas. Purchasing 100 acres is, well...

So we just listened to him, then wished him good luck. Neither he nor we spoke of it again. As of today's writing, they're still residents of the storage unit.

I realized my dream of retiring early, purchasing an RV, and traveling. We hope one day we'll visit our RV, and those couples will have realized their dream, moved out of their storage unit, and is now situated on their property overlooking the beautiful landscape that is the Hill Country of Central and South, Texas.

We never took pictures of their open units during the times we were at the facility. We didn't want to invade their privacy in that way.

And, there's nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams.