I write none of this today to have anyone feel sorry for me, or to act as if I have it the toughest in the single mom life.....because I do not.....I have been so blessed, and my ability to take care of us, and stay in this house, and do the rest has been something I am so grateful for...... and having had the teaching job I have for so long and now my coaching business to make that happen......but hard and struggle is all relative right?? And going from a two income comfortable life, where we were both doing pretty well to one....amid inflation has been hard....struggling with money, and making it all work again has been hard at my age....and again I have not struggled or had to struggle as much as so many others so I do not say that lightly.....However I get the single mom struggle and hustle deeply....and can imagine how much more challenging it is amid the cost of the world and lower incomes, and trying to find a place to live under $2,000 a month....it is crazy.....the parts for me that have been humbling is with food and heat mostly.....I used to live at 70 degrees in my married life, year around....and now the kids and I live at 60 in the winter with space heaters to supplement, and we have safe heaters in our bedrooms and are toasty.....but yeah it is an adjustment, and is a reminder that no matter what situation you think you are in in life it can change.....also cutting corners grocery shopping has been challenging....I was used to getting whatever I wanted in my grocery order, and not being as mindful of it all anymore....and both of those struggles I had in my 20s......but to be thrown back into them at this age has been hard.....trying to be strategic about food every week and plan it all out......and I have had to sell some stuff to make money to cover stuff and make decisions surrounding it all, and even accrue a little debt I did not want to......especially since at the end of my marriage I had gotten us out of debt, debt free....but my point in highlighting any of this today is not to complain or lament.....or to say I have it rough.....because I do not....but it is to say that single mothering is not easy.....this world is not designed for one household.....it isn't......and in most cases not even two.....and we need to be kind and help the people around us.....the women that post sometimes in the mom group about being a single mom, and needing help with something.....that need is REAL.....and we should be helping if we can.....I have had to constantly hustle since this happened to make it work....and I am blessed to have a supportive family behind me too if I ever got super stuck.....but it isn't easy.....and the contrast in my life has been felt....and one of my goals for the kitchen is to have a heating feature on the back of the house to make winter warmer around here;-) And I am excited about that! My house is a big one and a tough one to heat so it should help! So today I tip my hat to all the single parents out there hustling and doing their best to make it for their kiddos! I see you and applaud your efforts, and believe in you! It ain't easy but we got this :)
jperuso
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