help me write MY MEMOIR

I am proud of myself. After 13 years of carrying the weight of bankruptcy, year after year of payday loans for emergencies, and banks shutting the doors on me for any line of credit over four hundred dollars, I finally reclaimed my right to the American Dream.

My credit score rose above 799. My hope returned. No more renting. No more annual rent hikes ranging from $100-$300 more a month. No more loud music coming from above or from the side of me. No more tiptoeing around, afraid the people downstairs would bang on the ceiling. I finally put my finances behind me and bought my dream home. Peace, quit, and no rent spikes. I have longed for this for over a decade. Go me!

It’s a ranch with a two-car garage, two bedrooms, and two full baths. It wasn’t updated when I bought it. It still isn’t, but that doesn’t matter, because it’s mine. While it didn’t need any repairs, I did decide to splurge on a couple of stainless-steel appliances. Yes, for a moment, I thought I was rich even though I knew this transaction would max out the account.

Thank goodness, I had already bought a pretty nice master bedroom suite a couple of years prior. The chest lived inside the small walk-in closet. The bedroom in the apartment was so small that there was no place for a desk to fit. My bed was squeezed so forcefully against the wall and the nightstand that the nightstand pressed into my bed. But my new home is perfect. Everything fits. My king-sized bed, my oversized chest and dresser, along with the nightstands. And, it comfortably fits my work desk, which houses two big computer screens and a laptop. It fits well without my room feeling overwhelmed.

And yes, my backyard is fully enclosed by the iconic white picket fence and the USA flag hanging in front of my home. Those were my final stamp of approval to be blessed to live the American Dream. I did it. I was so proud of myself.

I know, it probably sounds like I’m bragging. You’d be right, because I am. My 1,450-square-foot home feels grandiose compared to anything I’ve ever rented or owned. The cathedral ceilings make my home look even bigger. Yes, I was a proud middle-aged woman.

But it took less than a couple of months for my pride to sink into sadness. I had never felt so proud of myself… until the day I realized that my pride had cracks, I didn’t see coming.

Someone told me that pride is a sin in the Bible. It must be, because all I can do now is smile to hide my tears.

Hee, Hee, Ha, Ha. The joke was certainly on me.