It's been awhile

It really has been a minute, hasn't it? Life has a way of pulling you in a thousand directions at once, and the last couple of years have been no exception for me. I'm sitting here on a Sunday night, finally taking a breath long enough to put some of this into words.

December 9, 2023 was the day my brother died. The day before, I'd been offered a job at Amazon. The timing felt surreal—one door opening while another slammed shut in the most painful way possible. I started that job on January 8, 2024, and I've been there ever since. It's complicated, honestly. The work itself isn't what I imagined, and most days I find myself counting down the hours. But the people I work with? They've become genuine friends. That part has made all the difference.

Around the same time, my mother's health took a sharp turn. Late 2024, her ability to walk just... failed. She's been in physical therapy since then, working harder than I've ever seen anyone work, but she still can't walk on her own. It was a wake-up call. Her house—the one she'd lived in for decades—was literally falling apart. Black mold everywhere. It wasn't safe anymore. So I convinced her to sell, and I bought a house big enough for all of us. Now I'm supporting three adults besides myself, which is its own kind of juggling act. My sister, as always, is living here rent-free. That's become her life's work, apparently.

But here's the thing: I didn't just survive these last couple of years. I actually started building something for myself too. In April of this year, I went back to school. I'm working on a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and I'm doing really well. It's challenging and fulfilling in ways my day job isn't, and I'm genuinely excited about where it's heading.

And then there's the zombie story. It's been living in my head for years—this whole world, these characters, this narrative that just wouldn't leave me alone. Late last year, I finally sat down and started putting it on paper. It's almost ready to publish now. Almost there.

So yeah, it's been a lot. Grief and opportunity and responsibility and growth all tangled up together. But I'm still here, still moving forward, still building. That counts for something.