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About 20 years ago I was in AA and homeless. In a meeting on Manhattan's Upper East side which was always heavily attended, my sponser, referring to me, mentioned that he had begun sponsering a person who didn't know how to ask for help. Encouraged by what he said, I spoke next, and clearly illustrated my sponser's point by doing it wrong, asking the whole group for help in a very inappropriate way which made many people uncomfortable. I know I made them uncomfortable because they said so.
I'm no longer homelss but I'm still poor. I seem to be very, very bad at making money. However, like many if not most people who've been poor all their lives, I've become quite good at stretching the money I have.
About 8 years ago I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Which is autism. Which, as with many other autistic people, means I'm unusually good at some things and unusually bad at others. I'm unusually good at writing. I'm unusually bad at marketing what I write and making money from it. In fact, apart from a $1000 scholarship when I was an aundergraduate in the 1980's which may or may not have been in recognition of my creative writing -- I wrote to the foundation thanking them for the money and asking what I'd done to deserve it. Nobody got back to me about that -- apart from that $1000, I'm an unusally-talented 54-year-old writer who's made exactly zero from his writing. Except now for low 3 figures and counting via GoFundMe.
I'm currently on public support. I'd like to get off of public support. Nobody who's been on public support in the US needs me to explain that.
For 6 years I've been writing a blog, at http://thewrongmonkey.blogspot.com/
It's a great blog. For me it';s a full-time job. It's made me a total of zero dollars and zero cents so far. Everybody's welcome to read my blog, no charge. If anybody wants to send some money in appreciation of it -- thank you.
I don't know whether I've gotten one bit better at asking for help in the last 20 years, and I'm sincerely sorry if all I've done is make everybody uncomfortable. I've hesitated for a long time to make a GoFundMe account because I still don't know how to ask for help. (It's also very difficult for me to maintain eye contact for more than a second or two. I'm autistic.) But finally I figured that since I might never learn how to do it right, I might as well ask for hellp anyway.
I'm no longer homelss but I'm still poor. I seem to be very, very bad at making money. However, like many if not most people who've been poor all their lives, I've become quite good at stretching the money I have.
About 8 years ago I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Which is autism. Which, as with many other autistic people, means I'm unusually good at some things and unusually bad at others. I'm unusually good at writing. I'm unusually bad at marketing what I write and making money from it. In fact, apart from a $1000 scholarship when I was an aundergraduate in the 1980's which may or may not have been in recognition of my creative writing -- I wrote to the foundation thanking them for the money and asking what I'd done to deserve it. Nobody got back to me about that -- apart from that $1000, I'm an unusally-talented 54-year-old writer who's made exactly zero from his writing. Except now for low 3 figures and counting via GoFundMe.
I'm currently on public support. I'd like to get off of public support. Nobody who's been on public support in the US needs me to explain that.
For 6 years I've been writing a blog, at http://thewrongmonkey.blogspot.com/
It's a great blog. For me it';s a full-time job. It's made me a total of zero dollars and zero cents so far. Everybody's welcome to read my blog, no charge. If anybody wants to send some money in appreciation of it -- thank you.
I don't know whether I've gotten one bit better at asking for help in the last 20 years, and I'm sincerely sorry if all I've done is make everybody uncomfortable. I've hesitated for a long time to make a GoFundMe account because I still don't know how to ask for help. (It's also very difficult for me to maintain eye contact for more than a second or two. I'm autistic.) But finally I figured that since I might never learn how to do it right, I might as well ask for hellp anyway.
Organizer
Steven Bollinger
Organizer
Ann Arbor, MI
