>be me
>31, married, a dad
>4yo daughter, cute as hell
>small 2br house in the suburbs
>life looks comfy from the outside
>inside? collapsing harder than WTC 7 and no one asking questions
>outsourced IT wage slave
>permanent contract? in this economy? lol
>house eats 30% of income, interests hit harder than AA Flight 11
>inflation pounding harder than my wife does these days
>wage been flatlining like it dies from covid
>daughter starts kindergarten
>can't afford anything beyond bare necessities
>living paycheck to paycheck like it's a survival game
>old pre-covid gaming laptop limping like a zombie, can't game
>can only run chrome, office, and zoom now, can’t justify replacing
>try to feel joy, boot up old xbox 360
>controller disconnects every 5 min
>ragequit
>4yo iPhone gets yeeted by accident
>new one costs a kidney
>switch to $300 Android out of spite
>feel poor in both ecosystems now
>16yo hand-me-down Civic flashes check engine light
>car still runs, so ignore it like my emotions
>wife always tired
>toddler stress + doomscrolling + mobile game addiction
>gave up finding new job after experiencing multiple layoffs
>sex becomes a bi-monthly event
>when it happens, it’s more stress relief than La pasión
>coworkers invite me out
>“can’t bro, got stuff at home” (translation: broke & tired)
>sometimes go to dinner just so family thinks we’re still okay
>we're hollow just shells now, barely feeling alive
>miss 2010s
>miss dopamine
>miss having dreams
>this isn’t life, it’s a slow descent
being grateful keeps getting harder and harder
>31, married, a dad
>4yo daughter, cute as hell
>small 2br house in the suburbs
>life looks comfy from the outside
>inside? collapsing harder than WTC 7 and no one asking questions
>outsourced IT wage slave
>permanent contract? in this economy? lol
>house eats 30% of income, interests hit harder than AA Flight 11
>inflation pounding harder than my wife does these days
>wage been flatlining like it dies from covid
>daughter starts kindergarten
>can't afford anything beyond bare necessities
>living paycheck to paycheck like it's a survival game
>old pre-covid gaming laptop limping like a zombie, can't game
>can only run chrome, office, and zoom now, can’t justify replacing
>try to feel joy, boot up old xbox 360
>controller disconnects every 5 min
>ragequit
>4yo iPhone gets yeeted by accident
>new one costs a kidney
>switch to $300 Android out of spite
>feel poor in both ecosystems now
>16yo hand-me-down Civic flashes check engine light
>car still runs, so ignore it like my emotions
>wife always tired
>toddler stress + doomscrolling + mobile game addiction
>gave up finding new job after experiencing multiple layoffs
>sex becomes a bi-monthly event
>when it happens, it’s more stress relief than La pasión
>coworkers invite me out
>“can’t bro, got stuff at home” (translation: broke & tired)
>sometimes go to dinner just so family thinks we’re still okay
>we're hollow just shells now, barely feeling alive
>miss 2010s
>miss dopamine
>miss having dreams
>this isn’t life, it’s a slow descent
being grateful keeps getting harder and harder