Time + Hard Work = Perspective
When my Camry died, I was knee deep in Yeah, Maybe revisions on a computer that was 7 years old and barely functioning. Everyone was telling me I needed to get a car. I decided it was more important to get a new computer.
So after Yeah, Maybe was published (that’s right, you guys, I published the book using a computer that would crash on me every 20 minutes–stop making excuses), I rewarded myself with a brand new Macbook Pro. A huge investment for an unemployed writer, but it seemed more useful to me at the time than a new car. I worked from home. My husband’s job was less than a mile from our house. Do you see what I mean?
Overtime, a car seemed a little more necessary. My dad wasn’t driving much anymore, so my mom very kindly lent me hers. It served its purpose nicely. I mostly used it to travel to their house–something that was hugely necessary during The Great Tree Fight of 2014.
But then the rug got pulled out from under us. We didn’t expect to leave Campbell. We had no intentions of leaving our little (very inexpensive) house. Meaning we had no plan. Moves are expensive, especially when one of us hadn’t exactly been making a stable income for two years.
We entered 2015 scared silly. We had no money. No plan. No prospects. Nothing. We relied heavily on God and family. We trusted our instincts which took us to Charlotte. We picked an apartment less than two miles from my job, where a car would be provided while I was at work. I had it all worked out, I’d get a bike and uber to work when the weather was bad.
Don’t be ridiculous, my parents said. The car is just sitting in the driveway. Thank you.
The year continued. We got knocked down a couple times. We made mistakes. We failed. We started the year in last place and kept falling behind. Y’all. Shit. Was. Hard.