Celebrating Success

We had a landmark weekend in our house. I bought new furniture! It’s taken me over a year to find the extra cash. Granted it’s just platforms beds from Walmart, nothing fancy or flashy. But it’s a step up from the floor, which is where their mattresses were before! I like to say my boys are “well grounded.” Thank goodness they don’t care about those details. I wouldn’t be surprised if my youngest put his mattress back on the floor and found another purpose for the bed!

While small in the bigger picture, it’s taken me a great deal of effort to get here. It’s April which means tax time, and this year I’m doing a little better. Two years ago I was living in poverty. I had been divorced a year and couldn’t find a full time job in the town where we lived. I was on food stamps and fuel assistance. If it was any solace, a few of my newly divorced college educated friends were as well. Still, it’s not fun. The paperwork alone is a nightmare and the whole process is humiliating. I’m pretty sure it’s intended to be that way. I simply wanted a job and could have used the help in finding the right one. Instead I was swamped in benefit appointments having to explain my circumstance to blank faces. What I needed was therapy and a job counselor. But I was grateful for my stipend when I literally didn’t have a dime to feed us at the end of the month.

I had to look outside my community for a job and ended up moving from a tourist town to a nearby city. I had a fresh start. I also had new financial challenges but I was off of welfare and providing for myself once again. After a year I moved into a better position and actually have an extra $20 in my wallet from time to time!

As I put the beds together over the weekend, three times because I didn’t read the instructions thoroughly, I thought about how far I’ve come and how I don’t pause enough to acknowledge the little things. Nobody else is going to pat me on the back so it’s up to me to celebrate my success. While I didn’t make a cake I at least wrote this post. And I’m feeling good about that!