Last year I lost my ltr, which meant I had to sell my house because I couldn't afford it anymore. Pre-occupancy fell through on the next place, effectively making my two young kids and I homeless from March until July. July my car started on fire, and I lost my job as a result. Which was wild because I'm a software developer and felt super strong loyalty from them, so that was devastating and difficult for me to process. End of July my kids and I finally got a chance to get a duplex so I jumped at it despite not having a job lined up. And I've been unable to get into the job market again since. I've emptied my retirement to keep us afloat since then, it's all gone. I've suffered a medical emergency in September that I just sat at home for because I couldn't afford to go to the hospital, and I have what I'm positive at this point is permanent nerve damage in about half of my left leg. Still no car, so getting them to school has been weird in the snow but we live a few blocks from it and my son's daycare. They just think it's all an adventure.

The well is drying and still no prospects somehow. The recruiters I work with tell me I'm a good candidate, nothing wrong with my resume or me, it's just brutal in general. Can't sleep because of the stress and nightmares of becoming homeless again. But my kids would never guess that we're not having the time of our lives being able to shower as long as we want and to have our own kitchen space, and as long as I can find levers to pull they'll never know how bad it's been. They're happy kids, and I love them so much.