January 2023 3rd Street Beat

3rd Street Beat 3rd Street Beat

Recoveryisnotcure, stabilisationor maintenance–itisa self-directedprocessof reclaimingmeaningand purposeinlife.Thegoal istobecometheunique, awesome,neverrepeated humanbeingthatweare calledtobe - PatriciaDeegan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Chronicles of Darryl p. 3

Pearls of Wisdom p. 4 by… Raymond Bird, III A.T. &

Poetry

The 3rd Street Beat Mission Statement

The Third Street Beat is a newsletter written by and created for people with substance use disorder. Our mission is to validate that experience so people know that they are not alone, and to emphasize the many unique roads that we take to recovery. This is an opportunity to share our experiences to creatively support each other. We are non-political, non-denominational, multi-racial, and gender neutral. Our mission is one of recovery and harm reduction, and all experiences are welcome. All the viewpoints herein are personal in nature and related specifically to our contributors’ recovery.

The 3rd Street Beat Editorial Team

The 3rd Street Beat is produced byThe Recovery Center community with assistance from the occupational therapy team.

3rd Street Beat back issues

The Chronicles of Darryl p. 3

Pearls of Wisdom p. 4 by…

Raymond Bird, III

A.T. & William B.

Poetry by Yess p. 5 & 7

Schedule p. 8

The Chronicles of Darryl Volume II: Adventures from Homeless to Housed

By Darryl Armour

Chapter 1: I finally got my room in Harlem at 1/45 and Saint Nicolas on the west side. My housing specialist. Miss Kilpatrick showed me on her cell phone the door of the room. But I didn’t know how big or small the room. But I’m gonna take it anyway because I’ve been in the same hotel shelter for 2 1/2 years. Three years in math 2023. So it is time for me to go. But I got a little comfortable being there. Getting bread from the pantry at breakfast time to feed the birds outside, picking up cigarette butts and weed roaches on the ground. I know it is nasty and sanitized, but I am stressed with life. I’ve been out of work over a year. I lost my wallet. So I’ve got to get my ID back my Social Security card, my non-driver state ID And security state license. So I can go back to work. I know I’ve got a pay rent for my room within a year so I got to get my life together. Thank you girl.

Chapter 2: My roommate is very spiteful towards me. He told me my clothes are dirty and smelly. He said that I have too much laundry in next week if by Don’t do it I can I get the TV back. The TV was already broken, but he was so spiteful. He threw something hard towards the TV cracked the TV screen. So they took the TV out. The staff people that work for DHS in the hotel. So my roommate told me that if I don’t do my laundry, I won’t get the TV back. I don’t know what to do with my roommate. I won’t to transfer to another room. But the staff member said no. No transfer because there’s no bad and it is awful. So I have to read books to occupy my time in the room. It is making me miserable. I’m so bored without a TV. I enjoyed football games on Sunday. That’s why I’d be in the streets all day and night. I want to go home and go to sleep. I don’t want to go to the Bronx though because it is dangerous. I’ll go to the Bronx just to get away from my roommate though. Thank you.

Chapter 3: I know a guy from the hotel shelter at Brooklyn way out and be rich named blue beard because he has a blue beard. He must dye it blue. I saw him one night on the corner of 1 45th St. and Saint Nick in Harlem. I told him I would go to his house on 150th St. He lives about five blocks from where I live. So, I went to his apartment. He got a nice place, so we were talking and listening to music. We were chilling out. I noticed he didn’t call me by my name, Darryl. He was calling me, daddy, or baby. I was saying to myself, I didn’t know he was gay! He wanted me to spend the night at his apartment. I was going to, but I changed my mind. I didn’t wanna have sex with him. Because I didn’t wanna get caught with a disease like HIV or AIDS. I stayed at his house until 10 in the morning though. I went home and went to sleep. I need to be more careful with the friends I know. I got to get my life together. First, I got a room to live in. So the next step is to get a job. So I can pay rent in a year. 30% of my rent I have to pay. I stay the five years lease to get a studio or one bedroom. God bless everyone at TRC or Project Renewal OT, the staff and clients. Thank you.

Chapter 4: I had a friend. A Puerto Rican, Spanish female name, Katherine. I call her cat or mica mama or mommy sometimes. I let her stay at my room in Harlem on 1 45th St., Avenue It’s called Sugarhill. I let her spend the night in my room. I let her sleep half of the day for 12 to 24 hours. I gave some food to her. She did something I thought she wouldn’t do. She stole my cell phone.

…Continued on page 6….

Pearls of Wisdom

PersonalperspectivesromourTRCcommunity

The world won’t get any better if we just let it be: I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I am going to make that change for once in my life and it’s going to feel real good. I’m willing to do my best to become the best that I can be.

Raymond Bird III.

When life seems not to be going the way you think it should be going, be patient, and move over and let your higher power navigate through each day at his speed and time.

By A. T.

To myself, stop. Take the time to look up look around and take in life. Before it’s gone. And life will be lost, so why are you here? If you don’t take in life, before life is lost.

William B.

Looking back on my past life, I realized that encountering bad thoughts over a period of time can become a considerable brain freeze when trying to move forward in life, making better choices.

Raymond Bird III.

Food For Thought

When you feel like things are not happening fast enough for you just Remember to keep your eye on the prize.Which is my LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST are others HIGHER POWER.Have patience

With your goals in life because in due time they will be granted to you. He can and he will if you let him.Remember to be grateful for each day You are here on this planet.Open up your heart to your higher power and Let him in so he can cleanse your mind, body, and spirit.I end by saying

Trust the LORD with all your heart and remember he is LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!

By A.T.

I have spent much time both on stage, and in an audience on the floor

The audience claps but the performers leave the same way they came in

And we cherish the victory of a sunrise, but it’s an unfinished race

As I sit in the courtyard where they hold the play. -Yess Your eyes We all want something we can’t look for rather than look for something we can’t seem to find. I’ve seen the eyes of those who seek to be looked for

OF DARRYL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

When she left, I saw her on 1 145th St. by the store and the check cashing place. I told her that she cannot come to my room anymore. That is why I cut her off. That hurt my heart. I was trying to be a friend to her. Now, I don’t have no cell phone. It didn’t work anyway. Because it needs a Sim card to activate it. She may be sold it for some crack to smoke. I know her for about three weeks. Since I moved to Harlem from Brooklyn. I can’t trust people no more. they take kindness for weakness. That’s OK. Life still goes on. I learned a lesson on this. New year is coming up in 2023. I hope that 2023 is going to be better for me than 2020 to us for me. God bless the city country and world. Thank you.

Chapter 5: I got a cat burglar in my room a house. In my apartment building in Harlem. I didn’t know it used to be a hotel back in the day. Maybe in the 60s 70s 80s 90s early 2000s. I wasn’t living in New York Boston. I was living in Newark New Jersey during that time. I moved to New York in the middle 90s. 1996. So I’ve been living in New York for over 20 years. 27 years in April. This year in 2023, I live on 1 145th St. in Harlem. They call it Sugar Hill. I live on 150. Between 151. So I’m about five blocks from the train station on 1 45th St. his name is Carter. I guess that his last name I don’t know his first name that’s what everybody calls him. I first met him in Brooklyn in Bay Ridge. I was in a hotel. I heard it called Brooklyn way hotel. I lived there for 2 1/2 years. So I got my room and Harlem in December 2022. Carter lives three blocks for me. I lived on 25th and fourth Avenue. Cargo room second Street and fourth Avenue. He lives three blocks from me. And another shelter, I forgot the name of his shelter. So when I moved to Harlan, Carter is living in the same building where I moved into. Carli lives on the fourth floor in room 401. I am right down the hall. I am in 407. So one night I’m in the bed sleeping. I hear somebody knocking on my window. At first I thought it was somebody on the room door knocking. But it was the window. So I saw a body outside my window. It was dark outside. So I was a little Afraid… Scared. So I woke up out of my sleep. It was Carter. So I opened up the window and let him in. He’s a little drunk, and he asked me if I wanted anything to drink and smoke some weed with him. I said no so he went on the fire escape and around the corner to the front side. Because I’m on the backside of the building. And he came up by my room and knocked on the room door. I told him I was chilling. And then I was going back to sleep. So week or two ago, I came home to my room. And saw somebody knock down my stuff on the counter! By the window and chair with my underwear and socks. It was gone. So it was Carter that took my socks and underwear in a bag. I didn’t know that Carter was that petty and grimy, stealing another man’s underwear and socks. Thank God it wasn’t anything valuable money, jewelry, cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc. He will really take that. So now I keep my window locked at all times. When I leave out the room or stay in the room. Thank you.

Chapter 6: My female friend in Spanish young lady name, Kathryn that took my cell phone. I saw her one night and I forgave her. She was still in denial that she didn’t take my cell phone, so I forgave her anyway. So I let her spend the night in my room. I fed her anyway. I got something to eat for her. She did something real nasty. She doodoo’ed in my bed. And she doodoo’ed in my garbage bag. She must have had to go to the bathroom real bad. Because the bathroom is locked down for repairs. And I gave her $3.40. So that morning I went out to get something to eat for us. So when I came back with the food, she was gone and left my door unlocked. Thank God she didn’t take my cell phone this time. My cell phone was still there in my room. I got another cell phone and I gave her the extra cell phone, knowing her, she saw that’s also for crack cocaine. She’s a little mental. One night we were listening to music and she started crying. So I asked her, are you all right? She said yeah. Then a couple minutes later, she started laughing. First, she was sad. Then she was happy. So her emotions got up and down.

I asked her if she ever goes to see a psychiatrist, and she said yes. She told me that they let her go. She don’t go no more. So I know that she got a fat check every month for SSI or SSDI. For mental or physical disability. But knowing her, she will spend all the money on crack cocaine. I wish I could help her. I want to take her here to Trc or Project Renewal OT, and get her life together. Clean and sober. Thank you.

Chapter 7: My neighbors dogs that lives two doors down where I live at. He conducts himself when I talk to somebody in the hallway, real loud. His dogs start to bark. He said we are talking too loud in the hallway. But he took the two dogs out for a walk. He beats the dogs when they doodoo or pee pee on his floor. Between 2 to 4 in the morning, waking me out of my sleep. I don’t say nothing to him. I just turn the noise out. And go to sleep. He’s pretty cool with me, he said good morning to me the other morning. I want to say something to him. About the dogs barking too loud. But I don’t want him to get an attitude towards me about his dog. I don’t want any problems with my neighbors dogs. I just let it go and live in peace. I just wanna get my life together. I got a room, so I got to get a job. With my hair is up for not paying rent, I got to pay 30% of my rent. That is not bad between $200-$400 a month. So I got to get on the ball. I lost my wallet, so I need to get my Social Security card non-drivers license my security state license card. That takes time and money. I got to get all my cards by the new year 2023. God bless the staff and clients happy holiday to everyone. Thank you for letting me share.

The end….for now!!!

If a clock is an impression of the sun's shadow how accurate can it be. If your thoughts, you've navigated With words other men thoughts created Aren't u trying to open your doors with others keys

What is the true meaning of kindness?

And what was it created for?

I wonder if fairness is a thing

Or something used to manipulate more Let go of what was to be

By Yess

“Joy ”

Being born with everything but not being able to touch anything. That statement is not a riddle to what is or a question a contestant is asked on jeopardy. This is how I grew up. Even now, I have little complaints but whenever I inquire about my habits or desires I flip the pages on my early childhood.

My father was a prince in his village and his father in turn a King. Figuratively by titles, relative by finances and practical by design. I learned forgiveness first from him. You see every year, 3 times to be exact, he would tell stories of boarding school where he attended. I still don't know what filled the kitchen table first, our laughter or the tears of his. It was later I realized they were tears of sorrow when I retold one of his stories to a lady friend of mine. My objective or hopes were to recreate the “JOY” my father designed in our kitchen many times before. He was the victim in his tales, not the onlooker as he spoke to be. I realized this with his silence as I finished one of his “favorite memories”.

My King's heart had to forgive my father for being not the coward in his tales as that is not a crime but being a coward who lied about being brave.Do not rewrite your story. Do not teach cowardice. It educates fear. You tell things as they took place.

Art by Patricia Awrapara