So who are these waste warriors and where did they come from, you ask? They are world changers and they come from all over. After I found them (they actually found me), I couldn't stop my head from the spin they had toppled my brain into. Their lives were made as simple as possible; "everything with purpose and for purpose, " was their motto. They were brass tacks, minimalists that saw opportunity in the world's waste. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle on crack (with only the occasional crack usage).
Most of them came from wealthier backgrounds; each waking up one day and realizing just how dependent they were on their money and materials. Not their talents and abilities. Not their personal passions or deepest desires. Freeing themselves from their possessions to help the greater good was a life worth living, so they left their capitalistic slavedom with middle fingers waving in the wind. Over the years, they found each other and have been collecting like-minded humans along the way. So why me? Why did they pull me into their group?
Perhaps it was because of the sadness they saw in my eyes, or the hunger they felt in my belly. But it was probably, most likely, definitely because after hearing their story I told them was my own. A fake one. But a story all the same. This one was so much more meaningful than what really happened to me; it had heroism, bravery, and deep sentiment that only a maturing youth could share without ego. He showed them his developing mind, the morals that he created for himself within a matter of minutes, and allowed them to believe that he was out to make a difference.
They accepted him. They might have even loved him at first story. All that mattered to him was that he wasn't alone anymore. And this time he'd make sure he didn't get left behind. By any means necessary.
There was a lot for him to learn about living on the streets in the beginning. What streets were the safest, the fastest if you were in a hurry, which ones had the best loot to be upcycled, and where the best wasted morsels could be devoured after a long day of green living. We were cleaning the earth little by little by using what others deemed garbage. It was an honest way of living most of the time. But there were, like any lifestlyes, time when things weren't so pretty. It could get pretty ugly... pretty mean, pretty quick.
I stay in my lane and don't ask for too much. I do as they tell me and keep my nose out of trouble. Even when I don't think it's the right thing to do, I do it anyways. It beats starving, naked, and alone in the streets. I just had to sell my soul a little to stay. So be it I guess...