I never posted about Day Five. For those of you who noticed that my posts stopped right at the conclusion of 5 days, I haven’t died from the cold!

But it has been twelve days since my last blog post.

It’s been twelve days because I had a crazy busy week catching up on all the work I had neglected during 5 days. I barely had time to sleep or breathe, much less write.

But seriously? That’s no excuse. This blog is probably one of the most enriching things I’ve taken up in a while. It’s the one thing that forces me to self-reflect on a daily basis - and for twelve days I left it hanging.

Lesson? Things always get easier over time. And whether that’s putting something off everyday or doing something meaningful and productive everyday is completely up to you.

A year ago, one of my favourite photographers JenniPenni vowed to put up a picture a day for 365 days. The growth she experienced over the last year was so clear and so amazing to witness.  Imagine the progress you could make if you spent one hour every single day fulfilling a promise to yourself.

So what will it be?

Will you take 365 photos?

Cook 365 dishes?

Write 365 songs?

Walk 365 (x4) = 1460 miles?

Whatever it is.  It adds up.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately from people asking us how authentic this experience has been. Well the answer is it’s been nowhere close. I haven’t been kicked out of any university facilities, I have a homemade granola bar in my bag (something I don’t even get in real life,) if I really wanted to shower I could probably sneak into the aquatic center, and students and media are interested in what happens in my day. Most importantly, there is a constant network of support. Every other minute someone asks me if I’m okay and if I need anything. Some people may ignore me when they pass, but no-one backs away. There’s no feeling of alienation there.

But the point is even though we’re experiencing an extremely sugarcoated version of homelessness, it has already begin to take a huge toll on my life. I was woken up by pigeons (again) at 6 am yesterday morning. At 1 I crashed and slept through all my classes. I got a call at 3:30 because I was late for a meeting. By the time the meeting finished at 9, the only thing I was capable of doing was doodling. The lack of a place to come home to everyday has affected my focus and energy level way more than I could imagine. The lack of structure to my days has made me feel like I’ve floated away from the real world and that everything around me is just happening at lightning speed and I’m not part of it. For lack of words it feels kind of like this:

London (harder, better, faster, stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

So no, it’s not the same but I’m taking what I’m feeling and experiencing and trying to imagine it without the same safety, predictability or support.  Honestly? I can’t even fathom it.

It’s not easy when someone takes away your reset button.

I realize I missed day three. I’m sorry! All I can say is that the fatigue is definitely settling in.

And that I really dislike birds at 5 in the morning.

Needing the washroom at 4 in the morning has never been such an ordeal.

I’ve been wandering around in a hazy state of mind. It’s a little difficult to explain but I feel like I’ve had to read things five times over before taking them in - and conversations around me seem to just fly by. A restless night can make your ability to focus just vanish. I really didn’t expect to start feeling this way so soon.

A few of us decided to fast on the first day to really get a more genuine experience. It is entirely different from when I did the 30 hour famine. The combination of no sleep, no food, and having to haul my shelter around in a recycled bag is draining to say the least. There are times when it feels like I’m either permanently chilled to the bone or burning up - not too much in between.

Definitely a rude awakening so far. Two friends walked by me today without realizing who I was. I’m going to see if this number goes up over the next few days. Something tells me it will.

The thing that really stands out to me right now is that the end of this campaign feels like a lifetime away but either way, I know it will be over. I’m not sure where I would find the energy if I didn’t see an end in sight. I think what’s been keeping my spirits high through all of this is support and humanity I’ve received. It makes a world of a difference when people come up just to talk or to ask about the cause.

They say (in the context of business at least) that every bad impression or experience has to be neutralized by 10 good ones. It kind of implies that people naturally place bad experiences at the forefront of their minds. The last day has made me feel like it’s the complete opposite. The little good moments have been more than enough to get me though.

I think at the end of the day you remember whatever you don’t come across too often. It’s weird to realize how little notice people pay to the subtle blessings everywhere until they’re taken away. I think everyone would start every morning with the thank you game

First night out.  We started at 5 and I had a proper dinner so I’m not feeling the hunger yet.  Tomorrow will be a different day.

Realizations:

- It takes 2.5 minutes without cover before my hands turn to ice.  It took me ages to zip a zipper.  Imagine not being able to feel your most important limbs and not being able to use them for the most basic functions.  Crippling in more ways than one.

- It’s day one and I still look pretty put together but I’ve already been questioned about what I wanted/ what I was doing in 2 buildings in frequent.  People make pretty quick judgments when you’re carrying a garbage bag.

-  I found an umbrella and a frisbee after 10 minutes of searching.   It’s supposed to be sleeting again tomorrow so now I have something to trade for food if I need to - I’m sure someone will want an umbrella more than a bagel.  There’s treasure everywhere.  Don’t overlook it.  I think I’m now less astounded by one red paperclip.

The outpouring of support has already been great.  Thank you everyone and please do continue to tell others about this campaign.  Deeper things to come, I promise.  We’re just getting started.

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Today I made a word cloud of my blog.

It’s interesting to see what stands out.

Try it with a website, a speech, someone else’s blog, or your own material.  It might shed a little perspective on what matters most to you, the values of those around you, or how you’re coming across to other people.

We live in a pretty unpredictable world.  With everything in life - business, politics, science, love?  It seems like things are never what you expect them to be.  The thing is, everything around us is so intricately intertwined and so convoluted beyond reason that it’s almost impossible for us to see what’s coming.

But that doesn’t make us helpless.

If you’ve felt like things haven’t been going your way for reasons you can’t control, there are a few things you can do to change your luck:

i.) Try Everything.

And don’t ever stop.  The fun thing about unpredictability is that it also means some pretty amazing things will come when you least expect them.  The world will react in ridiculous ways to all your endeavors - some of them will work - most of them won’t.  But the next time you’re about to pass something up because you don’t think it’s worthwhile, remember that cornflakes, Post-its and Viagra were all discovered by accident - and where would we be without them?

ii.) Keep your eyes open.  Clues about what’s going to happen next are all around you.  Read, listen, and stay curious.

A few really fascinating things I came across today just to show you what I mean.  I tried to pick a nice range of stuff so I hope you find at least one of them interesting.  I think the first two are pretty telling of the trends you have to watch out for.  The last, I just had to share.

- iPhone applications can predict the future

- Corporate Philanthropy is finally on the rise

- A Pink Dolphin (talk about unpredictable.)

iii.)  Stay Flexible.

Things never stay the same for too long so don’t let the present make you lose sight of your roots.  When things are flying, don’t get arrogant or careless.  When things are down, don’t quit.  Just be prepared for everything, and make sure you have good people around you who can ride the waves with you. (Don’t forget to be there for them too!)

And maybe after all of this..

Your luck may just change =)