Random Life Stories and Unpredictable Moments

My life is not going well. I feel like I'm fat but I can't tell others because otherwise others will think I just want attention. Then my best friend (s) likes the same guy as me and everyone says that "S and T are perfect together, they should be girlfriend and boyfriend" and I just have to be there and agree with everyone else. It's hard when I hate S but at the same time I want to be his bff. I scolded myself a few days ago because my siblings keep suggesting that I'm fat, especially my older brother (E). The worst thing is that I'm being shipped with my crush's best friend (K). I feel like I'm just a side character in S's life. If I told others that I had a crush on T, others wouldn't take it well. 5.12.2024. I've tried to show my friends that I'm not feeling well. My real best friend (p) had seen my wounds on my arm but hadn't realized anything. We were talking about how some people cut themselves yesterday at dinner and I said "you shouldn't cut yourself, it feels painful." But I guess it never occurred to anyone at that table to think how I would know what it feels like. I'm happy it's Christmas. Now I can wear long shirts all the time to hide my wounds. I don't WANT to be s's best friend but if I wasn't his friend I would lose p because p wants to be both of our bffs

Well I wouldn't say anything ACTUAL stalker but I have this classmate and I'll say another story(s??) about them... Anyways I had talked to a therapist about this classmate we'll call them "CM" (for classmate) and CM was just a genuinely horrible person to me AND my best friend (SUB bc if an inside joke) , I'll go into more depth about that in another story back to it the therapist emailed my school to tell them about what was happening. After a week (it was school holidays then) I went back to school and in th afternoon then schools SafeGuarding Officer (nickname: SG) and SG pulled me into his office to have a chat to me, I told him some stuff and back to class I go and then CM gets called after me and now me and SUB are talking worried for our LIVES then SG pulls over to get SUB and I'm left alone with CM and she starts saying "I feel so bad for me and [SUB]" bc she thinks I'm mad at both of them not us mad at her.

After that we stopped talking but then she started talking to me again and I felt hopeless to stop it, this has happened to MANY times before... Weeks go by and I hear nothing about it.

A month goes by and we're talking again untill SG does the same thing as last time, THEN he gets all the three of us. We start discussing things and then SG said that CM can't talk to me nor SUB in and out of school, we was having THE TIME OF OUR LIVES untill SUB got a comment on their yt saying "hi my name is Ava... if you even care" so then SUB started talking to them and "Ava" started venting to them and soon enough reaveled that they were apart of a discord server and is a moderator, the person who created it was .... CM!! SUB felt really unsafe due to this and deleted EVERY video they made, and changed everything. A few days ago on my ticktok account I saw that there was a comment which had a VERY fake looking username and a pfp that fitted CM's humour, I knew immediately it was CM's alternative account but the comment said "hello I think there is somebody talking about you [insert username]" so I searched up the username and it was EXACTLY like SUB's yt account, impersonating them!! But a vid made a few hours ago wasn't copied and instead was gossiping about me by calling me fat even though both of them know I have Bulimia. I knew it was CM trying to frame

Eight years ago, after the birth of our twin children, my former partner and I decided to go our separate ways. We had been dating for just over a year when she became pregnant, and although we tried to stay together for the children, it wasn't meant to be. She soon found someone new and yearned to pursue that relationship. Our split, while peaceful, marked the beginning of a challenging co-parenting arrangement.

Initially, co-parenting went smoothly. However, when my ex remarried to a man who was also a single father, the dynamics began to shift. He had a daughter the same age as our twins and insisted that I should treat her as part of my family, expecting me to include her in gift-giving and outings with my own children. This demand complicated our interactions and subsequently led us to adopt a parallel parenting approach to avoid conflicts.

We share custody equally, and neither of us pays child support since we both have the children for equal amounts of time. I maintain a close bond with my twins and, during my allotted time, I focus on them without including the other children from their mother's household. Over time, their family has expanded to include a stepsister, a stepcousin who moved in three years ago, and a younger half-sister, adding more complexity to the family structure. Another child is possibly on the way.

The current disagreement stems from an upcoming class trip in November. The school our children attend is rather small, leading to shared classes between them and their stepsiblings. This trip, to an interactive museum, is quite costly, but I can afford it and my twins are excited to go. I decided to pay for them, but this decision didn't sit well with my ex and her husband. They felt that I should also pay for their stepsiblings' tickets or else let none of the children go. They argued this would avoid any feelings of exclusion and maintain family unity. I disagreed, emphasizing that it was my right and decision during my parenting time. This led to accusations from my ex’s husband that I was undermining their family dynamics and fostering resentment among the kids.

Do you support my decision? What do you think? Am I wrong?

i've been feeling all sorts of confused lately. like, I don't know who I am anymore? it's like my identity is all jumbled up, and I can't sort it out. at 24, you'd think I'd have a clearer picture of myself, you know? but nope, here I am, second-guessing every little thing about myself. it's funny, isn't it? we spend all this time growing up and then realize we still have no clue what we're doing. just trying to navigate life with some semblance of purpose 😂;

i guess part of it is the pressure of trying to fit into the mold of what a 24-year-old "should" be. I've got friends who seem to have it all figured out. they know what career they want, where they want to live, and even who they want to spend their life with. and here i am, just... floating? it's like treading water, trying to find something to hold onto. it's not that i'm unhappy or anything. but sometimes, it feels like i'm just playing pretend in this 'grown-up' world. who else has this never-ending identity crisis?!

the weirdest part is how it flips so quickly. one minute, i'm all sorted and confident. the next, i'm questioning everything from my job to my weird taste in music. am i the only one who feels like their personality just never settles? it's like, i'm always trying to catch up with myself. maybe it's just part of the journey, finding bits and pieces until everything finally falls into place. maybe the whole point is in the mix of it all. do you ever feel like life is just a series of random self-discoveries?

anyway, i'm beginning to realize it's okay to change, to not have everything figured out. nobody's got it all together, even if it seems like they do. maybe part of me knowing who i am is accepting the uncertainty and rolling with it. even when it feels like chaos, there's a kind of peace in embracing that chaos, if that makes any sense. i'm just gonna keep going, exploring the parts of myself that make me, well... me. after all, life's too short to worry too much, right?! who knows where this rocky road of self-discovery will lead, but I gotta admit, there's something exciting about not knowing.

Dealing with dietary preferences can be quite a challenge in a marriage, and sadly, it seems my husband struggles to remember or respect mine. To be clear, my list of food dislikes isn't extensive – I steer clear of spicy and acidic dishes, have a distinct aversion to raw tomatoes and calamari, and dislike sweetness in savory meals. Despite these preferences, I am not overly fussy; there are plenty of dishes and cuisines I enjoy without issue.

It's frustrating when my husband dismisses my preferences as overly complicated. For instance, I selectively enjoy fruits like pineapples and oranges only when they’re particularly sweet, because if they aren't, they tend to be too acidic for my palate. It's a simple enough method to deciding what fruits to buy, so it's bewildering why this is so hard for him to grasp.

Recently, an incident that highlighted his disregard occurred when his bosses decided to buy food for me. My husband, knowing my usual aversions, chose a sweet and sour chicken dish. He justified his choice by referencing a rare occasion when I had enjoyed this dish at a specific restaurant. Unfortunately, this particular time the dish turned out not only sour but also rather spicy. I attempted to eat it to avoid conflict, but it was too unpalatable. When I expressed my inability to eat the dish, he became upset and told me to just throw it away.

I find it troubling that he could disregard my clear and repeatedly expressed dislikes, especially when I have stressed my aversion to sweetness in main courses. His impatience over the situation seems unreasonable to me, especially when the solution appears so simple: remember and respect my preferences.

Imagine if this situation unfolded on a reality TV show; the audience might be split. Some would sympathize with my frustration over having my dietary preferences repeatedly ignored, echoing the sentiment that personal food choices should be respected by one’s spouse. Others might view it as an overreaction to a simple mistake, arguing that the incident was just a misunderstanding of preferences and not worth a significant dispute. It’s likely the dramatic fallout from the incident would captivate viewers, showcasing the everyday challenges couples face, magnified under the scrutiny of public entertainment.

How might I have handled the situation if it were happening on national television? Would the pressure of viewers' eyes change the dynamics of such a personal issue?

Now, thinking about the nuances of this situation:

- How should my dietary preferences be handled?

- Would viewers take sides, and what would their perspective be on such a personal yet relatable marital disagreement?

My husband Josh and I usually see eye-to-eye on most things, except when it comes to our taste in art (music, television, movies, visual art, etc.).

For context, he’s a huge fan of Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Radiohead, and a bunch of modern classical composers. Almost anything you’d call "pop" from the 90s onwards he despises, often ranting that nobody knows how to craft a decent song anymore.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal - everyone has their own preferences, right? But we’ve been together for seven years, and this has been a point of contention since day one. The latest incident happened last night on our drive home.

I adore Prince, but I don’t think everything he’s done is fantastic. When "Diamonds and Pearls" came on the radio, I groaned and muttered, "Great, one of my least favorite Prince songs." Josh commented that, in his opinion, this is one of Prince’s "more intriguing" tracks. I replied that while it might be intriguing, I find it kind of atonal and odd. Immediately after that, Justin Bieber’s "Love Yourself" played. I mentioned that even though the song is simpler, I enjoy it more because it has one of those timeless melodies that feels like it’s always existed, even though it was just recorded a few years ago. To support my point, I said it often gets stuck in my head and I end up humming it all day.

He argued that a song can be catchy without being "good" and that complexity and interesting composition matter more to him. I countered that complexity doesn’t necessarily make something better and that it's impossible to be objective about what makes for "good" art or music... and we went back and forth. Then he said something like, "a more sophisticated listener can hear and appreciate complexity."

He equates appreciation of complexity with "sophistication" in the listener, implying that if I (or anyone) were smart or educated enough, we’d appreciate the same things he does. Essentially, I'm just not sophisticated enough to "get" what good music is. I found this offensive and elitist, and I told him so. He said I’m too sensitive and that it’s no different from someone not being able to appreciate a poem if they don’t understand the language it's written in.

I asked Josh if he understood why I took issue with his attitude, and he said that he can’t help it if I don’t like the way he thinks about it. If I don’t want to hear his opinions on the matter, we’ll just have to avoid talking about it in the future, like we’ve been doing all these years.

Sometimes I wonder how this whole scenario would unfold if we were on a reality show. Would people side with me or him? How dramatic would it be to watch our arguments on screen?

Have I done wrong?

In my entire life, I never faced any issues in maintaining a pristine shower, until I started living with my spouse, Mike. I've always been conscientious about cleaning our bathroom, giving it a thorough scrub once a week, and rarely needed to do extra apart from the occasional deep clean.

However, recently, I’ve been battling a persistent pink bacterial slime at the bottom of the shower and clinging to our stylish outer shower curtain.

Doing the laundry and handling about 90% of our house chores has always been my department. But, I had to draw the line when I suspected that Mike's habit of urinating in the shower might be contributing to the scum issue. Our shower setup includes just a stall with a curtain, which makes it likely for splashes to end up outside the intended area. Honestly, it wouldn’t irk me as much if it happened in a bathtub, where it’s more contained.

I should clarify, I don’t think there’s anything inherently bad about peeing in the shower. I simply requested Mike, quite politely on multiple occasions, to refrain from doing so, unless he was volunteering for scum-cleaning duty. His reaction has always been defensive, which baffles me—why is such a simple compromise to improve our living space seen as unreasonable?

Is it unjust of me to restrict his ‘shower liberties’ in our stall setup?

Imagine, for a moment, having this issue aired on a reality show. Visualize the debates it would spark, not to mention the potential amusement or horror of viewers worldwide! It certainly puts the topic into a bizarre perspective, pondering if the public opinion would lean towards sympathy for my plight or support for Mike’s restroom freedoms.

What's your take on restricting bathroom habits in shared spaces?

Moomy, sorry if I swear in some of these and please promise not to get angry because I haven’t told anyone this and I feel like crap anyways

I couldn't finish 3 of my exams. I couldn't the last 2 questions of biology, I couldn't finish 1 section in Hindi, and I couldn't finish half the paper in maths. I will fail even all the subjects. Maybe I didn't study enough for all of them. I'm a failure to everyone. I'm a failure in life. I don't have friends, I studied but I didn't have practice, I'm apparently rude to everyone and everything, I can't even draw like my beloved artists, I can't do art in the future because you'll replace me, and I won't pass school next year. It may be the second term and I have one more, but it's not enough. I'm not enough. I've never been. The list should've helped me because I would've been a great human, not the defective fetus my parents were given. That's all I am. Failure. Always will be, unless I figure out a way to just stop. Stop harming others with this mess, because my existence of failing alone is bad.

Nobody wants a failure, nobody wants to fail. Because look where failure got others. People failed to check the reactor core of Chernobyl, many people of Ukraine and other countries died. Someone scored very low in school, he was held back a year and continues like that, even though he's happy now. Someone failed a driving test, so they never drive again because they probably ran over someone. Someone failed an exam, and their parents beat the hell out of them or they get horrible treatment. Someone out there failed to get his family any food in a poor village and they die. Someone who was a topper in 8th became a failure in 12th and never ever got accepted to any college EVER. See? Failure hurts and it destroys. It’s like a cancer, a mutation which occurs when a DNA code fails. Failure’s a prion, a cancer, a mutation. I hate it when books tell kids in school, failure should help you learn. It helped me learn to not fail and resent it. My parents may have been fine, but I don't care. I'm a failure, and I should leave the house because I said so. Dad's right when he says lots of Indian families hate failure, I should too. He's not right when he says it's not good. Stop lying, dad!

Look where it f—king got me. I feel like I failed in everything. How am I gonna make it in this world? I won't. If I fail in one more thing, I'm a useless child. I hate it when they say you can learn and do better from failure. I hate it when dad says not to fear failure. Look where failure got others in the real world! Death! Destruction! Famine! Held back a year! Loss of friends! Abuse! More death! This will happen to me. It will. Didn't failure hurt them?

That's why I'm a problem. I may have been born by loving parents, but right now I feel like they secretly hate me, even though they seem fine. I burnt everything I touched, maybe this fail is it. I failed at maintaining 1 friend, at succeeding exams, at being nice and humorous, at being smart, at looking good and being in the trend, many things. I'm pathetic. I'm the worst thing ever to happen. Why even though I studied I couldn't finish the paper? I'm too slow like a snail, that is! I’m fat, ogre-like and as ugly as someone’s hairy armpits. I hate it when my mom said not to think on her behalf. Making predictions is what we do. Stock workers do it to predict the market trends. Even if she scored 5th topper IN SCHOOL, why is she telling me she also failed? It's a lie! Farce! Fake! Farzi! She's lying that she failed. She's not showing love, it's a story she cooked out of her mother-head to comfort her child. If I hate myself, I'll get better. I'm a worthless, useless, piece of sh-t, v—na candle smelling, stupid, pig-like, hairy, baboon-ish creature who deserves to not live for all her f—king failures. If I hate myself, I'll get better. Isn't it how it works? I admit my failure, I remind myself of them again and again, and I'll improve. It’s what I’ve been told by someone I don’t remember a long time ago.

My high was a waste. My high of feeling better and more confident was an utter waste pulled out my a-s that I really regret because I feel so stupid. Don’t try to convince me failure is good for me. Failure is bad for everyone. Remember my examples? They’re true! I feel more useless than ever. Like my high of positivity and small confidence was wasted. What do you mean I should think more positive, if this is the sandpit it got me to? I hate it when people say it. I’m sorry, but I also hate the fact even my own family hates cynicism and honesty, even though dad embodies both. Hatred of oneself happens when that person understands they are nothing more than their flaws. I’m nothing more than a stupid, short, fat, hairy, ugly, brace-faced, curly-haired, unskilled, lazy, abusive sister, daughter, girl and even human being. Being “positive” is stupid. Look where hoping got me. I didn’t f-cking finish the goddamn paper. My hope that I will finish was a farce and a fart. Listen here, stupid sheeple. POSITIVITY GETS YOU NOWHERE. Say it louder for the people at the back! Don’t tell me to care for myself and look at things to make me happy. Don’t tell me to “LIST PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS WELL AS THINGS

YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO.” “LOOK AT POSITIVE IMAGES AND THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS TO CHANGE YOUR MOOD.” or even the stupidest, dumbest and most STINKIEST one, “WRITE DOWN NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND THEN RIP THEM UP OR THROW THEM AWAY.” How the actual hell does ripping up your negative make you better? IT DOESN’T MAKE ANYONE FEEL BETTER, FAKE SCIENTIST! I’M A PRODIGY, A TINFOIL-WEARER IN THE MATRIX OF FOOLS! DON’T SAY SUCH STUPIDITY, YOU HAGS, SLOTHS, MORONS, HAIR-EATERS!

Dad now thinks I’m a lying, dramatic, piece-of-sh-t daughter who’s only doing this to piss him off. Wow, great observation father! I just love how smart you are! I’m not upset, I’m aroused! I AM a psychopathic, cringe daughter! I am the Belle Gibson wannabe who successfully fooled the goddamn world into thinking she’s got cancer, when bloody lady’s got everything fine and set out for her! I’m a girl who’s farting out problems, and using my tongue! Ever considered cutting it off and removing my teeth? B-TCH?! WANNA F-CKING HURT ME? GO AHEAD. Not that you care if whatever I’m going through now is real or fake, I’m Belle Gibson, Moriarty, Kokichi, all chronic liars! I’M A LIE! And lies deserve to be killed and obliterated by God! IS GOD EVEN REAL? I don’t care, go ahead! Send me away to a sh-t Indian school where nobody cares and they all beat and probably r-pe me, because guess what, I’m toughening up! I’m having the ass of a monkey, callouses as hard a stone!! I’M THE LIAR I’M THE LIAR I’M THE LIAR GOD IS REAL I DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED I’M A LIAR I DESERVE TO NOT HAVE LOVE I’M A LIAR AND I SHOULD BE JAILED AND TORTURED AND R-PED AND KILLED AND SLAUGHTERED AND EATEN!!

So don’t even begin to think about how I can improve, because I can never, ever, ever succeed next unit, or ever, in life for ANYTHING. Plain and simple, 1 + 1 = 2.

So he dumped me. Yeah, it's the classic story of a two-year relationship ending in a blazing inferno of heartbreak and confusion. Ever felt your heart drop to your stomach like a malfunctioning elevator? That's exactly how it went down. Two years of late-night cuddles, inside jokes, and shared Spotify playlists just tossed aside like yesterday’s trash. And here I am, a 21-year-old woman, staring at my reflection asking, "why can't I stop crying?" 😭

Seriously though, who even decides it's perfectly fine to obliterate someone’s universe over a text? That's right, he broke up with me over a damn text! Talk about modern-day dating atrocities. Why did I ever trust someone with the emotional intelligence of a goldfish? As you can guess, I haven’t stopped crying since. Not to be melodramatic, but I feel like I've been caught in a torrential downpour without an umbrella. RIP my post-breakup plans 🌧️ They say it takes half the time you were with someone to get over them; does that mean I've got a solid year of this emotional rollercoaster still to ride? 🚂

The rational part of me knows this is just a transient phase, that I'll eventually overcome this episode; but the other part, the one that holds onto those self-inflicted pity parties, has a different narrative to spin. Funny, you never really understand the term 'emotional baggage' until someone decides to up and leave, leaving you with enough emotional luggage to open a boutique. Yet here I am, holding onto the scraps of memories and the wreckage of what was. Aren't we supposed to grow from these experiences? Or is that just a nugget of wisdom to placate the wounded ego? 🤔

I'm not ok, I think. I haven't slept in three days, haven't eaten a thing today except for some Smarties and don't plan to eat anything else. I just feel like I'm sinking in the deep end. All my friends are changing and I'm left behind, the same as I've always been, wondering where everyone else went. I just need to grow up, people tell me that all the time, sometimes to be reassuring and sometimes to be insulting, but I can't, I don't change even when everyone else does. I'll always be me, the one who hides everything inside and only shows people what they want, but yet I'm still hated and ridiculed because I did something wrong, because I refused someone's help, because I forgot to be who they wanted me to be. I just wish I could show them the person inside, with no fear that they'd hate me more than they do. Everyone around me only tolerates me, and barely at that. Maybe I'm being a drama queen, people often say that I am, but I'm just so sick and tired of being misunderstood. They see me as an attention seeker when I try to hint at the fact that maybe I need more help than I'm letting on. Everyone's tired of my crap. I constantly give people issues, I start fights, I don't deserve to be here. People would be better off without me. Don't worry, I have something to remind me that death is never the only way out of things. But that reminder hasn't been working as well lately. Nobody really even likes me. I'm a hypocrite, and idiot, a weirdo, and nuisance, a burden on this world. I'm hanging on but barely. I keep stumbling through the tunnel but the light is getting dimmer. The clouds are coming back. The sun is gone. I am unlovable and unloved. No one wants to even try with me anymore. And it's not like I can tell anyone this. They'd never understand.

My wife, Emily, and I tied the knot two years back after dating for five years. She brought her two amazing sons into our marriage and recently, we were overjoyed to welcome our new daughter into the world. When planning for our daughter, Emily made it clear that she wanted to dedicate the first year to exclusive breastfeeding, and stepping away from the workforce to do so, to which I gladly agreed given our stable financial state at the time.

However, things took a drastic turn when my brother illicitly withdrew $25,000 from our joint account, shaking our finances to the core. With only $3,000 left and a rent of $2800, I found myself in a position where I had to ask Emily to reconsider working, despite our initial agreement. Her response was heartbreaking as she exclaimed her disappointment and retreated, locking herself away in despair. Later, she confessed her deep resentment towards the situation, expressing fear that she might have reconsidered having our daughter had she known about the potential change in plans. She strongly felt it was my responsibility to resolve the mess created by my own family member and threatened separation if pushed to work.

It feels like we're stuck in a dire financial situation here, and without her additional support, I'm not sure how to navigate through. This has left our relationship strained to the point where communication has become minimal and filled with sadness.

I can’t help but wonder how this scenario would be received if we were part of a reality show. Would people empathize with the pressure we’re under, or would they judge the emotional outbursts and my desperate request for her to work? The volatile dynamics and intense confrontations might draw sympathy or criticism, turning our personal crisis into a public spectacle evoking strong reactions from viewers.

hello..as by now i don't know where this is gonna go..end up?...but i wanna share what im going true....

me and my mum..it always been me an her...she and my dad spilt up before he came back into my life again...i was young...i grew up 8 years without my dad...then i had a little sister before when i was 2....ok ok fastforwad...my dad and mum argue ALOT. like its a house hold hm...so...ya ever heard the saying hurt people hurt people?..yeh...thats exactly what is happening....

back in 2021 i started hanging out with a group of people.....hanging w them made me know that they had problems to...like me...

in 2021 my mum became...physical...often hitting me...calling me names....and all i did was brushing it off..keeping to myself...but things started getting far..over the waters..

i tried . i seeked help ..and got help until 2023 when i got into high school. life was going good..until my mum started again...

she started to pull me down,with what i wear,do or even say...i couldn't say nor tell her anything...so for 2 years i kept it in..dealing with in mentally...lost focus in studies...started cutting again...did it help?..no..it just left scars...even tho sometimes i felt as it did.

i judged myself daily..found out i had pcos...started starving myself to look like models...wanting to be pretty...helping around the house...so i can unless get a good job..but i didn't...

recenlty...it has been hard...i almost got death beat, mum it physical...jus because i talked to a boy....she says she would cuff out my teeth..make it bleed..brake my hand and foot...and if she has to go to jail she would...she said....anything i do is wrong..telling people don't follow my lead..im bad...im this that...but all i am is a girl...a girl that now is getting to explore..do things....i-...i try ...i try so damn hard...and theres so much more i wanna say..so much worse things she did...but i will just share this for now...all i wanna do is take a rest...kill myself?....i dunno...but imma keep cutting for awhile....even tho i been overthinking..getting frustrated....i-...stress...i wanna reach for the waters above...ti breath...but i only feel like im drowing deep below...i try reaching..swimming...but it went futher....

yep..thats all i need to share...for now..i just need some help...mentally and physically...

In my line of work within a specific branch of government, we have a close-knit community. Among my colleagues is someone I'll refer to as Sara, who recently put me in a rather precarious situation. Sara and I have always had a decent working relationship, strictly professional, and she's known for her integrity.

Sara came to me with a request to help her secure a personal loan of $25,000. Her objective is to purchase a space to set up a store in her hometown, aiming to boost her husband’s financial stability.

Personally, I’ve managed to stay debt-free and cautious about any financial engagements. Trusting Sara wasn’t the issue, but the magnitude of the loan and its implications made me anxious. I expressed my reservations, telling her, “I understand this is crucial for you, but I’m not comfortable with the risk associated with cosigning such a substantial sum. It’s a serious financial commitment, and I’m not ready to undertake that risk.”

This response led Sara to become visibly upset and emotional. She retorted, “You don’t trust me? This store is our chance to secure our financial future! The bank won’t consider my husband because he doesn’t have a job right now. I really thought you could help me.”

Although I felt awful for declining, my stance was firm based on my own financial principles—something influenced by my admiration for financial guru, Dave Ramsey, and his skepticism towards debt.

Now, the atmosphere between Sara and me has grown tense, and she's scarcely conversing with me. The guilt for not aiding her does linger, yet I remain convinced that prioritizing my financial health was the right choice.

Was I wrong to refuse to cosign her loan?

Imagine if this scenario played out on a reality show. The cameras capturing every detail, the audience likely split in their sympathies. The pressures of public opinion could potentially sway my decision or make the fallout from my refusal even more dramatic. How would the audience react, watching these personal and financial dilemmas unfold in real time? Would they champion my cautious approach, or condemn it as unsympathetic?

Ever wonder if anyone, and who would come looking, if you disappeared? I think no one would come looking for me.

I graduated college today but instead of being happy, I feel sad. :<