Head Strong like My Mother with her Caring Heart

        June 21, 2026  |  Sunday Morning 🌄 

                 The Age I become an adult

I've always been an old soul. I've always been extremely mature for my age. So, I was seen as mature for my age when I was 13 - 15 years old. 

Life experiences at the age of 12 years old, too, placed a personal growth spurt upon me. So, even though I was still really young, I was seen as a mature person. Troubled. And, forced to grow up faster than most people around me. 

It got really messy in my early teenage years. After being placed with certain family members here & there, I ended up homeless on the streets of Seattle. When you're on the streets & surviving through the kindness of homeless youth programs & shelters, you grow up a lot quicker than those kids who have the opportunity to be kids and experience middle school & high school like most normal people. 

I was still in school while living day to day on the streets & in homeless youth shelters. There was a Native American Youth program near The King County Court Offices that was open from 8 AM to 6 PM most days. I would have had a completely different life if that youth program wasn't available for me/us. It was my saving grace as a young teenage girl.

I was head strong like my mother. So, I wasn't easily manipulated. But, because I have my mother's caring heart, that got me in a lot of trouble on the streets. I was always looking out for everyone else around me. I cared for everyone who cared for me. Like my mom, I wanted the people around me to be happy so I'd sacrifice my happiness for their survival. 

When I was on the streets, even though every single day I was in survival mode, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I didn't smoke cigarettes or anything else. I didn't drink much, but, once in a great while I would walk around downtown with a mixed drink. And, I wasn't a fighter. But, everyone else around me were. So, they all protected me whenever I needed it.

I don't know exactly when I became an adult. I was extremely mature for my age going into my early teenage years. Growing up on the streets & in youth shelters forces a person to grow up quickly. I knew how to survive because the people around me taught me how. 

One of my good friends was forced into prostituti¤n as a young teenage girl.😢 The homeless youth shelter where we met was along Aurora Avenue & that's where she was forced to work. I met her in 1991 or 1992. She had the biggest & most beautiful blue eyes. 

I didn't know what she went through before 7:45 PM everyday, but when the doors opened at 8 PM we knew that we were safe for the night. We would have a bed to sleep in, dinner & breakfast & a huge box TV to watch a show or movie before bedtime. Many people would shower in the evening so that they could use the following morning after breakfast to prepare for the day. I always woke up early & took the first shower then I did my hair & makeup for the day. Even though I was living on the streets, I still loved my makeup & perfume. Most days, if you didn't know me, it would appear like I was just hanging out with a bunch of teenagers! 

We hung out at Westlake Mall most mornings because that was where we met up with our other friends who slept at other youth shelters & we'd check in with everyone. We'd share our plans with those who needed to know & we'd be on our way. Some of the teenagers were still in middle & high school. Some of them had temp jobs. Some, made their own money downtown & some would just post up at Westlake for the day. 

I usually attended classes at the Native Youth Program on the other side of downtown. They'd serve us food & snacks throughout the day. When it was time to leave, certain youth employees would make sure that I had food for the evening & they'd pack a lunch for me. 😇🥰😊 They did that for all of the youth who were homeless. (They are the best People EVER) On certain days when I had my annual check-in with my primary counselor, one counselor in particular would bring me out to eat. 💛 There were a few different restaurants around the youth center & many more in the heart of downtown Seattle. That program truly saved my life. 

I didn't attend school every single day. Some days, I would just do a check-in with my primary counselor & let her know that I was OK. On those days, I'd hang out downtown, at Westlake, at Native Park & at The Arcade on 2nd Ave. I really loved that arcade. I loved listening to music, so, I'd go in there & play a couple of dollars worth of music & play Ms. Tetris or that bowling 🎳 type game where you make points when the ball dropped into circles at the top of the machine. Those were my main Go-Tos when I was at the arcade. 

In Seattle, I always had my discman & chunky headphones. If I didn't have my chunky headphones, then, I had the small kind that you put the mini ear buds inside your ear & they were connected into the discman by the long, shiny black connector. I loved to create mixed CD's. So, I always had my own mixed CD's & my own collection of CD'S. Without my music, I don't know where I'd be in life. Truly.

It's difficult to say when I became an adult. Even though I am second to youngest in my family, I always felt older than my age. Then, life experiences at 12 years old really opened up my eyes to the world around me. Then, being forced to grow up on the streets, too, taught me how to survive. When you are surviving on the streets you see, hear, experience & learn so much more about life & about yourself that I grew up really fast. I'll leave this question for the professionals to ponder. I know that I am a wonderful person now. And, I am grateful to still be here to share part of my life experiences with you. 

XoXo 🌹

Love,

Me