A Lesson in Asking for Help

A Lesson in Asking for Help

Tonight, my son and I were talking about what my next steps would be. How I got to this place and what I needed to do to get out of it.

He compared my life to that of a cartoon man pinwheeling down the stairs, hitting each step, bruising, snapping bones, and causing mayhem to the body and spirit until the end, where I'd pop back up and land on my feet. He said, you always land on your feet, but you're going to need to learn your lesson first.

Where I'm at: The short story is that I'm facing homelessness. I had a great job with a great company that lost their funding and they had to lay me off. Because it was a contract position, I couldn't file for unemployment. I thought it would be fine. I had three months of savings to live on. I'd find a job.

Little did I realize that right now, the game industry (where I've been working for the last 20 years) is the most unstable that it's ever been. Other, more qualified people are also looking for work. And my ability to sell my resume and my experience didn't match up.

I didn't let anyone know how bad it was getting. I'm not good at asking for help. It's a little bit of toxic pride and a lot of past trauma that holds me back. Unfortunately, or fortunately, if you are in the same mindset as my son, it's time for me to move past that and ask for help.

I need one month. If I can give my 30-day notice to my leasing office, I'll at least get my deposit back (which is substantial.) My rent is 1900 per month. In a stroke of good fortune, my lease ended, so I didn't have to break my lease. But I do need to get somewhere less expensive.

The plan is to find a job – any job—and move closer to the kid. Once there, I can rent a cheap one-bedroom apartment and work on stabilizing and finding something in my career field. Until then, anything will do.

I know I'm asking for a lot. I had a friend recently tell me that "Many hands make light work." I'm hoping you'll be able to help me trudge through just one more month so that I can get back on course.

If you aren't able to financially help – I totally understand, and I really appreciate you reading this far. If you would feel more comfortable, another way to help is to direct people to my Amazon author page. The series isn't complete, and the writing could have been better, but it's mine. I will be honest: finishing the series right now with the stress and anxiety doesn't look that feasible. However, it will generate income to help me weather this storm better. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nicole-Hamlett/author/B0052OO73U

If you can help, thank you. You have no idea how much I will appreciate it. I hope that in the future, I can repay the kindness.