IN YOUR OWN WORDS COMMUNITY PROFILE A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF! I’M WRITING TO YOU, Self, as your older self. Being young, we thought we had all the time in the world to enjoy life, not to deal with problems, or even try to forget about problems, because if we didn’t think about them, maybe they’d go away. But Self, let me tell you something: RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR holding things in or trying not to deal with pain and problems that you have will not help you in the long run! I also tell you this because when you’re young, you will not know how strong you’re going to have to become later on when hard things come your way! They will come your way, and what really matters when it does happen, is how you deal with it. Everybody needs somebody to talk to, to confide in — somebody who’s willing to listen. You need somebody to talk to it because when you don’t, it builds up like a time bomb, and when it goes off, you may not always be able to control it! Self, when you lose control, you may not be able to deal with the consequences that will come your way because you exploded and didn’t even want to try to get help with how you were feeling. When health issues come, don’t be scared, Little Self, to reach out and ask for help. Sometimes asking for help is the hardest thing that you can do, but when you’re young, you need to learn how to do it, Self. We are not made to be by ourselves, for if you live a life by yourself, one day you will become old, and you will see how hard life is when there’s nobody to talk to, nobody to care, no one around to worry about you at all. Self, make good friends while you’re young because once you get old and you don’t have any friends around, going through medical conditions by yourself can be very hard. I’m very thankful today that I know how to ask for help, and that I have the people around who have helped me to go through my cancer journey, as well as the upcoming surgeries that I need to have. While you’re young, Self, keep it in your mind that one day, if you’re lucky enough to live 50 or 60 years, you’ll have the best life ever because friendship is worth cultivating, by making time for each other, listening to each other, and helping each other out when a friend needed. Just remember, you are so much stronger than you may think, and it’s all up to you whether you believe it or not. Strength comes from within — not from what other people tell you what you are or are not! Believe in yourself always, for if you don’t, who will believe in you? No one can love you more than you can love yourself. No one can give you the love that you’re missing if you don’t have it for yourself! So, if you don’t love yourself while you’re young please make sure you think about getting help! Life is a short journey, and in the blink of an eye, you can go from thinking you got all the time in the world to being old and realizing that you ain’t got much more time. How are you going to spend your time, Self? Stay strong, Self. I’ll see you in the future! DONATE YOUR CAR! Need to get rid of your car, truck, or motorcycle? Consider donating it to Denver VOICE. Call (855) 500-7433, or go to: careasy.org/nonprofi t/denver-voice. Your donation helps Denver VOICE succeed in its mission to provide individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty the chance towards a more stable life. The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community. JOHN ALEXANDER IS BACK I AM BACK! No, I was not in the Bahamas; although, it been away is a fact long, a that long I have time. JOHN ALEXANDER DENVER VOICE VENDOR During this time, I made new acquaintances, whose names are Dementia, Memory Loss, Hyperparathyroidism, Parathyroid Adenoma, Hypercalcemia, Cancer, High Calcium, and a set of twins called High Blood Pressure and Blood Clots. Just when I thought everything was finished, and that I would be getting a lollipop of my choice for being a good patient before being cleared to go home, it was decided that I had spare time for major throat surgery. So, there I was, still in the hospital. After regaining consciousness from the operation, rubbed my hands over the stitched wound. I felt and looked like the Frankenstein Monster. I thought, “What’s next?” “Well, Johnny,” I said to myself, (I can always depend on me to be around and give me a kind word or two), “It’s been a long, hard, uphill fight, Johnny, but it’s all behind you know.” I decided to ring for the nurse to find out the exact day and time I would be able to leave the hospital and go home. “Hello, Miss Nurse,” I said, as she walked in to check on me. “I’d like to know when I will be going home.” Her response was, “Well, I can’t say exactly when, but we have you schedued to go to a nursing home, and as soon as there is an opening, you will be released to that facility.” “Well, Johnny,” I told myself, “It looks like you have another fight on your hands.” “No, I don’t,” I responded to me. “This is only Round 2, and I won the first one.” I DID win the first round. Round 2 cost me an extra 30 days in the hospital before I was released to come home. MY home! Today, I understand what it means when people say, “It feels good to be home again.” John Alexander is back! I VOLUNTEER WITH US! We are looking for volunteers to help us at community events, or to assist with paper distribution and basic offi ce administration at our offi ce (989 Santa Fe. Dr.). If you are interested and would like to know more, contact us at program@denvervoice.org. 12 DENVER VOICE July 2025
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