LadySiha's Whatever I Feel Like

2 years ago, around this time (I think it was early January) I laid in bed and watched all of Yuri on Ice for the first time.

I saw myself in the main character, feeling stuck and like I had failed at/wasted my life so far. I cried for and with Yuri at the end of every episode as he destroyed the limitations he'd placed on himself and embraced the love of the people supporting him.

It resonated so hard that it became my eureka moment of "I'm not that old, and I'm not stuck".

I started applying for grownup jobs not long after.

2 years ago I was making a bit over minimum wage, working retail at a job that was (in retrospect) completely abusive with coworkers who bullied me, and living with my parents.

Today, while I watch Yuri on Ice again, I have a well-paying job that makes me feel valued with amazing supportive team members, I'm married to someone who changed my life, have a sweet kitty, and am a new homeowner. I'm also more aware of and attuned to the unending support of my family, my husband, and my friends.

I know it wasn't the only thing that contributed to the improvements in my life, by any means, but it really was that wakeup call I needed. People believed in me, and I was the one holding myself back.

New kitty just ahead of our new house!

This is Mona, named after Morgana from Persona 5. With her penchant for investigating (seriously, any time she's out of our sight for more than 5 minutes, she reappears from the basement covered in spiderwebs) I think it was a perfect choice.

She's a rescue and still a little nervous, just in the "you're still here and I really get to stay here" way, but I'm already seeing her start to relax. Otherwise she's extremely affectionate and curious.