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So this is my story about being jobless and eventually homeless and living out of my car this year (there's a happy ending).
At the end of March when all the lockdowns were starting I had my job contract terminated due to budget cuts. Dead in the water of covid protocols I spent the months of April/May drinking and playing Animal Crossing and rewatching Marvel films.
In the months after that I applied to dozens of jobs. I interviewed for a few and was even a finalist but just couldn't nail one down. It was beyond frustrating. Luckily camping and backpacking were covid friendly activities to help take my mind off all of it.
Then came September and my lease ended. With no job lined up, I now had to move out of my apartment. I made a tough decision to move my bigger items to a storage unit and try something.
I was going to try living on the road. It's something I had thought of doing before, but like in a camper van/motorhome and with some sort of income. Not in a Honda Civic, without any major income, and during a global pandemic. I imagined a bed, not reclining my driver seat.
During this time you might've seen some of my photos, but I never mentioned the circumstances. I didn't want people worrying, especially since for the most part I was fine.
Some days were amazing. I hiked the fall colors in Wyoming searching for bears. I watched rare island foxes steal food. Hiked the forests in the Olympic peninsula. There was a sense of freedom that I had never felt before.
Some days were dreaded with anxiety. Checking my bank account and realizing I was spending just a little too much. Wondering when I'd actually have a job again. Wondering why it was so hard. Or just being tired of sleeping in a tent. My photos are the highlights, not the lows.
Of course I could always stay with my dad in Michigan. My savings account was solid, just not something I wanted to dip into. These are reasons why I didn't want people worrying about me. I'm also very stubborn and was determined to make it through this on my own.
I started gaining more appreciation for simpler things. Watching the sunrise. Cooking a meal. Even just sitting quietly by a river. I was staring at fewer screens and stimulating my brain less. With how much I lost I really felt like I was appreciating the little things I had
Eventually it was November and I had camped in a forest. That night it just got too cold. I woke up tired and realized it would just be this for the foreseeable future and I decided to come home for the holidays. My dad had just retired so it would be nice to see him to celebrate
My mood has felt so much better compared to the last time I was home. At this point I'm just thankful to have a place to stay, even if it was on the other side of the country. It took losing everything I wanted to appreciate everything I had and that's a tough life lesson.
The end of this story is that after 8 months of being unemployed I was just accepted a kick-ass job near Denver a couple days ago. Things are about to start feeling somewhat normal again but this time I don't want to take any of the little things for granted.
I couldn't be more thankful to be in this spot. And anyone who has helped me over the last few months, I cannot possibly thank you enough.
