I'm In Atlantaaaa!

The Move That Saved My Life

Woah, I live in Atlanta

What had happened was…

In mid December I had the chance to make a “harm reduction” move from Ohio to Atlanta. This wasn’t a “eh, it’d be cool to move” decision. This was a “I can feel my life ending from the constant racism and chronic stress I experience on a daily basis and if I don’t leave soon I will die In Ohio” decision.

The only roadblock to a regulated nervous system was $5000.

But I am a poor.

I write about poverty because I *checks notes* actually live in it.

However, I was determined, persistent and (as always) slightly delusional.

• I crowdfunded on Linkedin (again)

• I sold my Black Business Guides at a discounted rate

• I was even open to a personal loan from connections in my network

As Sunday ended, I was $3500 away from what I needed to move on Monday.

I felt like a failure. And then, I got a DM that said “I would like to help.”

They confirmed the amount I needed and an hour later, it was in my PayPal.

*wall slides in disbelief and gratitude*

The personal details are ours and stay close to my heart.

However, what I will share is this: the generous human who saved my life is working hard in their own life to survive in this garbage capitalist society. And yet they said “your situation is more precarious.”

I wept as I read their words…

As for Mutual Aid, you may not have an excess of resources to share but are you sharing the resources you do have? Do you share to the point where you may feel discomfort but it won’t impact your ability to care for your own needs?

When you have space, listen to the Planet Money NPR podcast episode DIY Reparations (25 minutes). It shares the story of a town in Vermont where they were tired of waiting for this country to take reparative actions for the Black community. As a result, they created their own reparations experiment.

And then, read this beautiful Ko-Fi post titled “The Same $20” by K Mataōtama Strohl. In their words “thank you to all of you who send what you can, to all of you who send the “I see you” in the various ways y’all do and to all of you who send love abundantly out into a world that often times makes us feel like love is scarce, especially for Black people without money. (And support their content as a paid subscriber!)

As for me, I am profoundly grateful for the human who said “I see you and I see your need - I can help.”

Thank you for saving my life.

From Congo, to Sudan, to Palestine, to California, to the survivors of the next climate disaster, to your unhoused neighbors, to Mutual Aid asks on your timeline, to the person in your life drowning under capitalism - do what you can. You make a difference.

Back to Atlantaaaa!

I drove here with a change of clothes and donated / trashed the majority of what I owned. I needed to leave the heaviness behind. I have a handful of personal items in storage (ok fine, it’s books) in OH but aside from that, I had to start from scratch.

The day I drove here, my online community sent me nearly $2000 in collective care to help ease the move. Without them, I wouldn’t have had any funds. Did I consider how much money I’d need for the trip or how I’d have to restock my entire life after I arrived? lol absolutely not. My traumatized nervous system was focused on “GTFO, figure the rest out later.”

Thanks to their kindness, I didn’t have that added financial stress.

Every moment here has been busy and hectic.

But it’s ok because I’m good. I’m really good.

With that said, this didn’t fix my life. I continue to have chronic anxiety about money. My monthly expenses have increased by $1000 in Atlanta and as a person who already fights hard to stay afloat, this terrifies me. Although the financial price is high, the emotional cost I paid in Ohio was even higher. I feel safe here and that’s priceless.

People think I’ve been relaxin’ since I moved and, nope.

Yesterday was the first day I’ve taken a break. It’s hard to give myself permission to slow down because I don’t want to fail this experience - I’ve come too damn far.

Lemme wrap this up and head back to work because rent is due in nineteen days and of course there’s always a countdown clock that lives in my head thanks to a lifetime of housing insecurity and poverty trauma…

To invest in my work and wellness as a Black creative:

• Upgrade to a paid Substack subscription

• Purchase the 2025 Black Business Guides with over 500+ Black owned brands

• Join my Patreon to learn about Mutual Aid (for example, why we need it in our everyday lives - not just tragedies or emergencies.)

As for my new home: I have a card table, a folding chair and a twin air mattress.

To help me turn my little studio into a space where I can rest and recover, please visit my wishlist. What did you say, Amazon is trash and you refuse to support their corporate greed? I respect it.

Instead, you can share direct Community Care which allows me to shop Black owned brands. For example, the Stuffed Waffle Iron maker from Wonderffle and the Elle Vie in the picture: both are Black owned businesses! The waffle maker was a gift from a dear friend and the sample shea butters were a gift from myself (to my rough hands after the move) because as their slogan says “ashy ain’t classy.”

Venmo: @ divinerobin

CashApp: $divinerobin

PayPal: practicecommunitycare@gmail.com

As always, you can send a cuppa care via Buy Me a Coffee

This was a harm reduction move - not a forever one. (México es el objetivo.)

But for now, I’m really grateful to be home.

I think I’m gonna make it.