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Jun. 25th, 2014 02:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolariAs you may have noticed, money has been on my mind as of late. Longer than the recent (mostly lessened) crisis.
Since the 2001 dot.com bust, I've lived hand-to-mouth. Since then, I've been telling myself "It'll get better once the economy recovers."
The career I chose to make money was ground zero of the dot.com bust. Those of us who knew how to work computers were respected, now we're a dime-a-dozen. 2006-2008 was the closest I ever saw to a recovery, but it really wasn't. The only reason I saw a little prosperity was I moved to a small town, with a small town economy, while being paid big city wages. It was nice, but it was temporary. But I always told myself "It'll get better once the economy recovers."
I'm 39. I still get by because my parents, who should be retired, are working to keep my sister and I taken care of. I don't make my car payment, or pay my car insurance, they do. I can't afford it.
It's been thirteen years of "it'll get better." It's time to realize it's not going to get better. This is the New Normal. And it's time to stop expecting the change, time to stop pushing for change, and time to adapt. We lost this one.
What does a warrior do when he's lost the big one? Win a few of the little ones. I need to stop thinking that a house in the country is a goal I can achieve, that the surgery I needed to move on with life is possible. The big ones are lost - win the small ones. Get through a month without going into the red. Have enough money for a nice game or a movie every couple of months. Maybe even find a way your parents can finally retire by carrying your load.
And don't let them take those away from you like they took your dreams.
Since the 2001 dot.com bust, I've lived hand-to-mouth. Since then, I've been telling myself "It'll get better once the economy recovers."
The career I chose to make money was ground zero of the dot.com bust. Those of us who knew how to work computers were respected, now we're a dime-a-dozen. 2006-2008 was the closest I ever saw to a recovery, but it really wasn't. The only reason I saw a little prosperity was I moved to a small town, with a small town economy, while being paid big city wages. It was nice, but it was temporary. But I always told myself "It'll get better once the economy recovers."
I'm 39. I still get by because my parents, who should be retired, are working to keep my sister and I taken care of. I don't make my car payment, or pay my car insurance, they do. I can't afford it.
It's been thirteen years of "it'll get better." It's time to realize it's not going to get better. This is the New Normal. And it's time to stop expecting the change, time to stop pushing for change, and time to adapt. We lost this one.
What does a warrior do when he's lost the big one? Win a few of the little ones. I need to stop thinking that a house in the country is a goal I can achieve, that the surgery I needed to move on with life is possible. The big ones are lost - win the small ones. Get through a month without going into the red. Have enough money for a nice game or a movie every couple of months. Maybe even find a way your parents can finally retire by carrying your load.
And don't let them take those away from you like they took your dreams.
