To a better path: short/mid/long term plan (2022-2024).

[oak]

Friends, doomscrolling Reddit for hours last night, I realized I am on the wrong path:

With my current choices I am facing a long descent into less financial and physical ability.

Said another way: I have the tools to enter the middle class, and enjoy a physically fit and robust middle age.

With your kind indulgence, I'd like to post, for the next two years, about this now-plan and hopefully soon action:

My plan, 2022-2024

Short-term, rest of 2022: Keep the lights on until I get a raise. Meanwhile, complete appliance (CPAP) and nutrition actions to mitigate/cure sleep apnea.

Representative/typical actions: (1) walk to grocery store to buy fruit several times a week (2) walk to my small town's community events.

Mid-term, most of 2023: (having kept my good habits from 2022) receive raise late in 2022 so I can repair my car; begin building my professional skills.

Representative/typical actions: (1) join local Rotary (2) begin building tech skills through Udemy and LinkedIn Learning with the explicit aim of being competitive for a specific entry-level tech job I am considering (3) local/regional/state day trips to see a little bit of America.

Long-term, 2024: Make the transition to the more lucrative tech job, and move across the state to a region where I can go swing dancing 2-4 nights a week.

Representative/typical actions: While I can clearly imagine the broad sweeps, I am bit hazy on visualizing any specific action or typical day. Maybe in 2023 I can take a weekend to drive there and look around. Get my hopes up.

Summary

As I see it, I have three challenges, three things that could wreck my middle age years: (1) losing my sobriety (so far so good, at 14 plus years!) (2) physical decline from sleep apnea and sloth (3) financial ruin, if I continue to live paycheck to paycheck (2012-2020) and working poverty (all other years of my adult life).

These, friends, are serious matters that demand my immediate and conscientious attention.

Fortunately I have lots of wonderful resources, including my great friends here. Thank you for letting me post here in the coming years.

[Mental Fairy]

Oak, we are here to support you and i love a good plan. Bring it on!