Feeling Hopeful

Last night Justin and I met with a financial advisor, and I just feel like celebrating how far we've come. When we met, I was a grad student and Justin worked part-time at a video store. We didn't have much, but we were so, so, happy. We met when Shannon and I were clubbing. All of our lives were really at the club. Daytime was really just time to plan what you were going to wear. Those were the nights of getting in before cover and buying one beer for $2.00 and then dancing the night away.

When I left graduate school, I had a student loan that I thought would never get paid off. I couldn't imagine it would ever be possible to buy a house. For a time, I'd even messed up my credit rating. And the hardest step, and the most important, was finding the courage to get real with where I was at - to know exactly what my debt was, to request a copy of my credit report, to stop imagining the worst and to find out the facts.

We were eventually able to invest in a house, and this year I paid off my student loan (yay). And the reason I'm posting about this stuff is one, to celebrate and two, because I want other people to know it is possible. Things change. You can turn things around. Things you can't afford today can become a regular part of your life in the future. It takes honesty (with yourself and with your partner if you have one). It takes courage. And it takes hope, hope that things can change. It takes believing it's possible. It takes belief in yourself. You can change your life.

As we start considering our post-loan budget, new possibilities open. And as much as that loan cost me, it did give me something - I gained the confidence of knowing that I could rise above it. You can too. I believe.