Jim Bordas Reflects upon His Experiences with Poverty
I was recently introduced to a book entitled "Hand to Mouth, Living in Bootstrap America" by Linda Tirado, and it reminded me of my own experiences with being poor. So much of what I read in this book reminded me in some part of the way that I lived the last two years of high school and my first year of college. Obviously it wasn't as bad as what many people had because I was not homeless, but I can tell you that I remember being embarrassed of where I lived, not answering the door at times when I thought it was high school classmates because we didn't have the utilities on at our house, not giving people my telephone number because I wasn't sure that the telephone would be in service when they called, having only one pair of shoes and not many clothes and knowing how important it was to make sure that the clothes were not torn and the shoes were taken care of, what it was like to go to bed cold because the window in my bedroom was broken and we didn't have the money to fix it.
I remember what it was like getting up early in the morning so I could pass my 4:30 a.m. paper route, then finding a way to my high school classes, attending classes so sleepy I could hardly stay awake, then attending football practice, and hitchhiking a ride down to the next city where I was a janitor at a church and school, then hitchhiking back at almost midnight, and starting the day all over so that my family could have enough money to try to pay the basic necessities for a family of eleven. I recall what it was like living in very tough neighborhoods and seeing that my family, as poor as we were, were not as poor as many others. I remember very well pulling up cushions on the couches and the chairs trying to find nickels and dimes so that we could have enough money to buy a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread when we barely had enough money to pay the rent.
I knew what it was like to not be able to get to my college classes my first year when I was living at home and the college was about 10 miles away, and I was dependent upon others to pick me up to take me to class. Sometimes they would forget or be late. I remember what it was like hitchhiking to class sometimes in the pouring down rain, only to get to my college class just in time for the class to be letting out. I remember what it was like having the top grade in the class, only to receive a C because I missed five classes, none of them really my fault, and being deducted a letter grade for each class missed after three.
Fortunately for me, the poverty that I saw firsthand and experienced to a much lesser degree only lasted for about two years. And fortunately for me, it provided perhaps a little better insight as to what it's like to be poor in this country and how so many things are beyond poor people's control. That is, the inability to sometimes get to work or class on time, the inability to study like other children because there are no lights, it's too cold, or you're working. Fortunately for me, all this helped me to better appreciate, understand, and have compassion for people that have issues brought about in many cases through no fault of their own. I know there are many people that believe that poor people are poor because of poor choices that they have made, and certainly that can be the case at times, however, unfortunately, often times poor people are poor because they've got mental or physical illness, they are sometimes not blessed with a God-given intellect that enables them to obtain jobs that provide them with a decent living, they are knocked off their feet with the problems that many of us feel are somewhat minor inconveniences - a dead battery, failed engine starter, a medical bill, a traffic ticket, or any number of items can set a person with very limited resources back so much that they often times aren't able to recover. They then find themselves at payday lenders and loan sharks who charge exorbitant amounts of interest for very little money, and the person may then find himself or herself in a hole they simply can't dig themselves out.
The change in my life has gone full circle. My life has gone from one extreme to the other. I've been somewhat close to the bottom economically, and now I'm somewhat close to the top economically. I've been rich and I've been poor and I've been in between. In my case, those two years without much provided me with a basis that has enabled me throughout my life to fully appreciate what I have, to not take things for granted, to appreciate people for who they are, and to have the ability to understand and care for those less fortunate. I still am nowhere close to where I'd like to be in my compassion and caring and providing, but I'm hoping to someday be there. I also feel so blessed to be a lawyer and to be able to stand up for people in all walks of life who through no fault of their own have been injured and damaged. It's also been a great and comforting feeling to know that I work with so many people that feel the same love and compassion that I do for the less fortunate and who look for ways to offer assistance and hope for those less fortunate than all of us.
I was recently introduced to a book entitled "Hand to Mouth, Living in Bootstrap America" by Linda Tirado, and it reminded me of my own experiences with being poor. So much of what I read in this book reminded me in some part of the way that I lived the last two years of high school and my first year of college. Obviously it wasn't as bad as what many people had because I was not homeless, but I can tell you that I remember being embarrassed of where I lived, not answering the door at times when I thought it was high school classmates because we didn't have the utilities on at our house, not giving people my telephone number because I wasn't sure that the telephone would be in service when they called, having only one pair of shoes and not many clothes and knowing how important it was to make sure that the clothes were not torn and the shoes were taken care of, what it was like to go to bed cold because the window in my bedroom was broken and we didn't have the money to fix it.
