Appalling

I wasn't very impressed by Londoners this weekend. S needs a place to stay for 2 weeks…literally, and we have 4 friends with a room each that is unoccupied and noone will take her. Either she cant afford what theyre asking or having someone stay is 'inconvenient' or puts them out...
 
Maybe I grew up being to naïve with parents who would take even a hitchhiker in for the night, if we have room or not and wouldn't expect a penny. Or parents who take in a friend (or stranger) for months at a time rent free in exchange for housework.
 
I grew up where it was rarely a time that it was just our family living at my house. We had an open home for my whole 18 years of growing up and I enjoyed the company, the 'big brothers' the 'best friends' the constant business of the household.
 
Even my own boyfriend was against me, making me feel like this naïve person who lets people walk over her or something saying theres just no room anywhere.
 
…I feel like I cant breathe with this lack of space….
 
Ive never felt more alone in my attitude but stand by my beliefs in the matter anyway.
 
All because I said, if I had an extra room and a friend of a friend (or anyone for that matter) needed a place to sleep…I would be more than happy to let them stay…and not even make a profit out of it.
My boyfriend is appalled to learn that when I was 20 and living in Edmonton, I met a man, a painter (maybe late 20s) homeless and in need for a bed for the night in -20C weather. I let him sleep on my couch in the basement. The next morning I got up to check to see if anything was missing…as you do…and he had folded the blankets and carefully placed the pillow on top with a ThankYou note posted to it.
A couple years later, I saw him again in Jasper and not recognizing his clean attire, remembered me and thanked me for the bed that night.
 
I miss having room to let my friends stay. S has been on my couch for a week now, rent free, and that's the way friends should be treated.