From the Bottom Up

I suppose life could be worse. I could have an addiction (to something other than tea or coffee) that could be life threatening and greatly reduce the quality of our life and my ability to parent. (I have dealt with these things, but I am not going to discuss that now.) My son and I might have lived in a country that didn't have such wonderful social programs and we would be out on the street, huddling in a cardboard box for warmth. Yeah, it could be worse, but as it stands right now, I am about as low as I want to go. Don't get me wrong, I have been lower than this in my life, but now as a mother and at this point in my life, I will not be so accepting and complacent about our quality of life.

Being on Social Assistance or "Welfare" is not something I am proud of. (I will refer to Social Assistance as SA, hereafter.) It is terribly embarrassing, in fact. I wish to discuss it here though, as a study on the struggle to become self-sufficient and get oneself and family off of the system and SA. Not just of SA and have a job, but be able to live in a manner that offers security and growth. If for example, I broke my leg, I would be able to take care of all my family's needs, as in food, shelter, clothing, and transportation, while I convalesced. That not only are we able to just barely survive, but a life were we can flourish and not risk ending up back on SA. I want to achieve this, and I will achieve this, as a single parent who starts out with little else than her wits and a few good friends - for which, I am blessed to have.

I will log my experiences and actions taken to do this. I will also log my feelings and states of mind that can contribute but sometimes hinder progress. The people I meet and the agencies I am referred to and which ones help me and the attitudes of the staff.

This is not going to be a cakewalk. I am not doing this as an experiment. It is real life for my son and I. Wish me luck!