Underestimated

Have you ever been underestimated? I have for years, because of lack of education etc. With my lack of education I have taught myself many things. I am improving as I grow. I have been homeless more than I can count. When I was homeless I wanted to find myself and what things homeless people endure. I have had people offer me jobs, which I jumped and took the offer. Some homeless are substance users or just gave up on life because the don't want to go on. I never stayed homeless for long. I have traveled many states, from Seattle, Washington to the southwest, back to the mid west and to the east. I traveled some on foot, some by driving. I enjoyed all my travels. I met all kinds of people. I put many miles on my feet. I carried a backpack filled with supplies and personal things. I have ridden with truck drivers back in the day. Now days with the new laws its different. They make it harder on truckers to pick up riders. My times on the road with truckers was to keep them awake. I gave them back massages; driving truck takes a toll on the body. The first truck I started trucking was at age 19. Most truckers will respect you as you respect them. I have never had any problems with them. I went to Montana and the snow storms can be fierce. Truckers can't pass due to bad weather, they are stuck on the roads for days sometimes. I have experienced that. Since I was a survivor of many things, I had no trouble coping. I learned to grow thick skin. I did the 'mind over matter' scenario. When driving myself I would stop when seeing other truckers broken down to see if I could help any. The reason for doing all this traveling was because when you are told you're stupid or will never learn anything and amount not to be anything I tend to believe them. I have changed my thinking since then. Life out there alone isn't all it's cracked up to be.