I’m sitting in the dark house waiting for whatever is wrong with the electricity to be repaired. We were the first house to report it so I was worried it was something exclusive to us but seems to be the whole neighborhood now.
The air conditioner is out at the shop so we came home early because the heat in there would not be conducive to tattooing. I was getting light headed every time I stood up so had a full sugar soda for once to last through the time we were there. I’ve barely made any money this week so it stinks that I had to reschedule both of my appointments today. Thankfully they were both understanding but there’s still no eta on when the ac will be repaired. The landlord should be getting back to us soon. It will be significantly cooler the next couple days so hopefully I’ll be able to take care of my appointments over the weekend. I’ll send out a notice just in case tonight. I don’t want clients making the trip out if they aren’t going to be comfortable getting tattooed in a shop with very little air flow.
In addition to all of that, my roommates’ only car blew it’s engine out of nowhere this week. The cost to rebuild the engine is so high they will likely look into a different car instead. So now we’re using my car until they can figure out how to get something new with awful credit. Although my credit is good I’m not going to intertwine my financial life with theirs anymore than it already is by helping with that can of worms. Their car had finally been fully paid off a couple months ago so that really sucks. Also, they just had to buy a bunch of necessities for their kids and a new coop for their chickens before winter. The expenses keep piling up and there’s just not enough money to make it all smoother.
Out of everything in life I’d say that working all the time and still barely making enough money to scrape by with no buffer for emergencies is really the hardest thing. I know there are so many people going through the same struggles and I’ve been in worse situations than I am currently so I am grateful for what I have but I question if it will every get easier. I feel for my son’s future. I feel for my roommates and their kids. I feel for all the people who can’t catch a break and are constantly on high alert about what is going to happen to them if one more financial burden drops.
During the covid epidemic I was out of work for a couple months because our shop was closed. I had a little savings prior to that and they got me through that but since then, with living expenses going up so drastically, I’ve not been able to recover that cushion. It’s disheartening and scary.
Aside from all of that I can say that I’m in the best spot I’ve experienced in my 40 years. I have a wonderful, smart, compassionate son. I have roommates who are an amazing chosen family. I have family and friends, a roof over my head, food, and a job I love. So in the end life is worth keeping going but the struggles are stacking against anyone who doesn’t have money. I hope in the coming years we will see changes that ease these worries for the general populace.
I hope. Stay curious!
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