Stasis
Financially, at the end of every year so far of my adult life, I have thought, "Next year will be better". This year, I realize that we will be lucky if we can maintain through next year.
The paradigm has shifted, and not really in a great way. It's not horrible, though. It doesn't look like Cory's career will go on the path we had hoped. For now.
So all my thoughts of, "maybe next year, we can buy a new X" have dwindled. Now it's, "boy, I hope X will last us a few more years or we're fucked". Which is also ok.
I feel like I have a better appreciation for what actually matters. It's a good lesson. I just hope I don't have to live it forever.
I did send my resume out for a job. I'd be surprised if I get a job, which is ok. I will figure something out once Molly goes to school.
We are so lucky for our community through all this, you know?
A few weeks ago, I walked Mimi and Frank and Molly and one of Mimi's friends to the park from school. We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way and I bought them some popsicles and Pirate's booty, and, giddy with excitement, they shared them with a couple of the classmates who happened to also be at the park. The other moms spoke only Japanese and weren't terribly friendly, but one of them had a baby a couple months older than Molly.
We reconnected at a class party, and suddenly, I'm friends with another mom of Mimi's classmate. This Friday, there were 7 kids at the Friday afternoon playdate. We also ran into a long-time park friend, who was having a playdate with a little girl from Mimi's old yoga class. Frank ran into a friend from his soccer class. After Mimi's classmates had left (and I was waiting for playdate mom to pick up Mimi's playdate), the kids found some fun caterpillars, and I spoke to a couple really nice moms (one a lawyer, one in grad school) whose kids were also obsessed with the caterpillars.
Molly toddled around the park like she owned it. The other kids know the rule is to give me a heads-up before going from the structure to the grass to the ramp/stairs to the basketball court, but Molly never got that memo. I'd be standing there with her, and someone would ask for something, get distracted, and then look around and Momo was gone. All the little kids rushed her to hug her and kiss her because she doesn't weigh 18 pounds yet - she looks like a little doll. It was the first time she was so brave. I saw a lot of the back of her.
Cory walked to the park from the bus stop, which is really close by, and our whole family walked home together as the sun set.
It's not bad, you know? We can't afford to do a lot of things, but I hope that, where it matters, we have it covered. Friends, family, playdates, warm afternoons playing hide and go seek, popsicles and exercise. We are lucky to be here, even if the rent for our small place is twice the rent of a 5-bedroom house back in the midwest. Life is good.
The paradigm has shifted, and not really in a great way. It's not horrible, though. It doesn't look like Cory's career will go on the path we had hoped. For now.
So all my thoughts of, "maybe next year, we can buy a new X" have dwindled. Now it's, "boy, I hope X will last us a few more years or we're fucked". Which is also ok.
I feel like I have a better appreciation for what actually matters. It's a good lesson. I just hope I don't have to live it forever.
I did send my resume out for a job. I'd be surprised if I get a job, which is ok. I will figure something out once Molly goes to school.
We are so lucky for our community through all this, you know?
A few weeks ago, I walked Mimi and Frank and Molly and one of Mimi's friends to the park from school. We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way and I bought them some popsicles and Pirate's booty, and, giddy with excitement, they shared them with a couple of the classmates who happened to also be at the park. The other moms spoke only Japanese and weren't terribly friendly, but one of them had a baby a couple months older than Molly.
We reconnected at a class party, and suddenly, I'm friends with another mom of Mimi's classmate. This Friday, there were 7 kids at the Friday afternoon playdate. We also ran into a long-time park friend, who was having a playdate with a little girl from Mimi's old yoga class. Frank ran into a friend from his soccer class. After Mimi's classmates had left (and I was waiting for playdate mom to pick up Mimi's playdate), the kids found some fun caterpillars, and I spoke to a couple really nice moms (one a lawyer, one in grad school) whose kids were also obsessed with the caterpillars.
Molly toddled around the park like she owned it. The other kids know the rule is to give me a heads-up before going from the structure to the grass to the ramp/stairs to the basketball court, but Molly never got that memo. I'd be standing there with her, and someone would ask for something, get distracted, and then look around and Momo was gone. All the little kids rushed her to hug her and kiss her because she doesn't weigh 18 pounds yet - she looks like a little doll. It was the first time she was so brave. I saw a lot of the back of her.
Cory walked to the park from the bus stop, which is really close by, and our whole family walked home together as the sun set.
It's not bad, you know? We can't afford to do a lot of things, but I hope that, where it matters, we have it covered. Friends, family, playdates, warm afternoons playing hide and go seek, popsicles and exercise. We are lucky to be here, even if the rent for our small place is twice the rent of a 5-bedroom house back in the midwest. Life is good.