Chapter · Reflective

Staying Afloat Is Still a Win

Why support helps keep this story out of survival mode

Summary
Sometimes success doesn't look like getting ahead—it looks like not going under. This chapter exists because stability had to be defended more than once.
By A Work in Progress
Jan 6, 2026

This Was Never About Reckless Choices

In a few short years, we had to move twice.

Not because of bad decisions.
Not because of irresponsibility.

Simply because the houses we lived in were sold.

Each move cost between $7,000 and $10,000
security deposits, first and last month's rent, moving costs, setup fees, overlap weeks.

The kind of expenses you don't have time to save for when you're given notice.

The Math of Avoiding Homelessness

When you're faced with:

  • Moving immediately
  • Keeping your children housed
  • Maintaining some sense of nomalcy

You don't ask "Is this ideal?"
You ask "How do we survive this?"

So we did what many families quietly do:

  • Took out loans
  • Maxed credit cards
  • Absorbed the hit to protect stability

It wasn't growth.
It was defense.

Where That Leaves Things Now

The result is a mountain of debt—about $63,000, including student loans.

That number didn't come from luxury.
It came from staying housed.
From keeping lights on.
From avoiding homelessness while life kept shifting underneath us.

Debt doesn't mean failure.
It mens the cost of endurance was deferred.

Why Support Matters in This Context

Support helps prevent things from getting worse.

It helps ensure that:

  • One unexpected expense doesn't trigger collapse
  • Every month isn't a scramble
  • Progress doesn't feel impossible before it starts

Support doesn't magically erase debt—but it helps keep it from growing while life is slowly stabilized.

A Moment of Honesty (and Humor)

Let's be completely unreasonable for a second.

If someone out there wants to casually erase $63,000 in debt—
student loans, credit cards, moving costs, the whole dramatic bundle—
I promise to:

  • Say thank you
  • Cry a little
  • Then immediately panic because I wasn't emotionally prepared for that scenario

There is, technically, a Stripe link.
Use it responsibly.
Or irresponsibly.
I'm flexible.

And if no miracle occurs, that's fine too—support still helps keep this story upright, which frankly already feels like a minor miracle.

Financial Miracle (No Pressure) [Stripe Link]

This Is Still an Unfinished Story

Bankruptcy was avoided (for now).
Homelessness was avoided (this time).
Stability—though fragile—was preserved.

That doesn't make this journey glamorous.
It makes it real.

And if support helps keep this story moving forward instead of backwards, then it's doing exactly what it's meant to do.

Thank You for Understanding the Weight

If you support this work, you're not funding failure.

You're helping carry the cost of survival—
and making space for recovery, rebuilding, and eventual breathing room.

That kind of support is anything but small.

Support this story

Buy Me Peace & Quiet

Writing these chapters takes stillness and a quiet place to think. If this chapter resonated with you, you can help create a little more peace and quiet — the kind that lets the next chapter exist.

Payments are processed by Stripe. See Terms and Privacy.

More on how support helps:

Tags

#resilience #responsibility #stress #unfinished story

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