Atee reflects on his life on the road

 

Fate Atee is a visitor and traveling road warrior.

How long have you been here in Socorro?

A year and three months. I’m very much a wherever the breeze takes me type of person.

What brought you to this facility (Puerto Seguro)?

It was the only one here in town. The experience so far has been great. The people have been the people for better or worse. But I have no complaints with my experience at this facility. Almost completely positive from my perspective.

Do you consider yourself homeless?

I don’t consider it that way. I’m always at home because I am on the planet I was born on. I travel to all types of different places around the country.

Where were you born and raised?

Clifton, New Jersey. The breeze blew me out to here. There is no rhyme or reason to where I am right now. You’re never in the wrong place, is how I look at things.

At what point did you adapt that philosophy?

I would say around 20. I’m 33 now. Instead of fighting life, just doing it. Going with my will instead of against it was the big key towards happiness. It’s like taking advice from a person. You don’t throw that away. You take that in your back pocket because you never know when that could be useful.

What different stops have you made along your journey?

Most of it was on the East Coast. When you get kicked out of the nest, you don’t realize how to fly until you have to. From that point you can do whatever you want. Not being a jerk and stealing and murdering. But you can do whatever you want.

What value do you take from your current lifestyle choice?

I feel that the value is invaluable. My life is more valuable than you could put a tax on. People spend their entire lives never leaving home. I wouldn’t be who I am if I never hit the road. If you want to experience France, you have to go to France.

Is your current lifestyle on the road satisfactory?

One hundred percent. I am the keeper of me as opposed to somebody else. It gets fumbled when somebody else is able to speak for you. The keeper of me is way more important than any keeper watching over me. Being on the road does not have any problems beyond spilled milk at home.

Are you close with your family?

I know my parents and siblings are still alive. I would rather not speak their names. That would be on them. I can’t speak for others. My upbringing was awful but I love how it turned out because I love being me. The hard road is usually the best one.

What is your favorite movie?

“Inception” is my latest favorite. Going into somebody’s head and plant an idea to make him think it was his own. That concept of knowing after seeing. It’s kind of like Hitler. Once you see the possibility of the evil then you know.

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

There are plenty of wants and needs. But for the most part, stay in the trench like I am today. You can see the scum as well as the best part of people. There are other people like me who are not as knowledgeable and fall into a rabbit hole to their own demise.

Going back in time, what is one thing you would tell your younger self?

I wouldn’t tell them anything. Every ripple in time shapes who you are. Going back to fix things leads to nothing being gained. I will never tell anybody how to live their lives. All I will support is trying to be a good person.

If you could change one thing about Socorro County, what would it be?

Nothing really. Socorro is like any other place. It has its goods as well as its bads. The bads can be seen clearer as Socorro is a small town. But you have to have this in order to have that.