I feel like this is something everyone has felt at some point in their lives. When you feel stationary. Stuck. When the world has been swept off your feet and you have no ground. When you feel that emptiness in your chest. No grip. That split second when hope is lost. Or that glooming feeling of when will this get better?

Whoever said "Money doesn't bring happiness", has obviously never been poor. I ponder this phrase, because rich and middle class people don't know how many times I have cursed about being poor.

But nobody ever knows your struggles unless they have walked in your shoes. I don't mean this in a cliche, woe is me way. I mean it because it's damn true and you know it. But what behooves me is when people say, "I have no money", and are able to go out or expect for others to do the work for you. I hope people realize that those who say that the most, are in reality not poor. Because trust me, those who are actually poor, are not going about telling people they are poor. This is not due to shame--far from that. People who are poor know there are people worse off than them, and therefore don't complain and never ask for help. Being poor humbles you. It humbles you. They know the riches lay in non-materialistic things. But they know life could be better if there were more money. This is rather hard to explain.

Let me be the first to admit: being poor is hard.

When you're poor, you hope to God you don't die poor. But that's in YOUR hands. You'll just have to grind twice as hard. Although being not poor seems light years away, because you know nothing else. When you're poor, you're worried about now and not tomorrow. When you're poor, you see the world so differently. When you're poor, you don't go home and say "well, let's go out and eat out tonight" or "let's go to the mall" or "let's go someplace fun tonight".

I found some quotes that summarize what I am trying to say. They are the following:

" There is absolutely nothing wrong with being poor. It's just so damn inconvenient." -Dr.Mohammed F A Alrazak

"The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all of your time." -Willem De Kooning

"Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a state of mind." -Mike Todd

and finally,

"Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor". -James Baldwin

When you're poor, you feed on faith, let me tell you that. And let me say how much poorer you feel when your ass works so much. I speak for those who have lived and live in this situation. They're not going to detail on the struggles. But I will. These people need to be heard. When you have money, you don't go winters without a heater. When you have money, you can live in a place with decent water and with shower heads that poor out warm water that pours out so much you don't have to twist and turn to get all wet. When you have money, you can buy a decent car--or a new car! When you have money...you can start focusing on living and not just surviving.

But when you're poor. Man when you're poor, do you feel love. You feel appreciation for the things you do have. You feel joy for the simplest of things. You enjoy life in a different way. When you're poor, you will always have what you need.

But let me end with this.

"There are people so poor, all they have is money". -Bob Marley

Now ponder that.