Post yr tales of hope and redemption here

Won't pretend I really have it together, but I'm certainly better than I was a decade ago, and it really helped to have a woman around.

I think I've hit my lowest ebb.

I can't even look at happy carefree people having fun and living life anymore. It's too annoying.

back in my late teens/early 20s when i didn't have my shit together and was living hand to mouth i didn't notice or care about this. now that i sort of have my shit together, i feel like i'm a long, long way off before i would feel comfortable.

^ Exactly this. Late 30s are the sweet spot of having just enough and being smart enough to realize how close to collapse your seemingly comfortable middle class existence is, if one or two big things go wrong. Or maybe it's the poker player in me that's been conditioned to think "there but for the grace of god variance..."

Brings to mind a pinball friend who (barely) works for his dad's massively successful company, and was recently given his xmas bonus check of $365k. Not a typo. Your shit doesn't have to be together when you fall out of the right womb.

Been slowly going in the opposite direction for the last 12 years, but I still maintain the illusion pretty well.

It's funny imagining myself being able to contribute to this thread. That's how far away I am from ever getting my shit together. It's unimaginable.

The only thing I know for sure is that it would be unconscionable to ever have kids and bring more life onto this earth. That's my idea of having my shit together.

phixed wrote:back in my late teens/early 20s when i didn't have my shit together and was living hand to mouth i didn't notice or care about this. now that i sort of have my shit together, i feel like i'm a long, long way off before i would feel comfortable.

i feel the opposite. i spent my youth caring about school, got into a good college, graduated, and have been working since. obviously it wasn't very neat and tidy while it was all happening and there were ups and downs. i don't "have it together" right now. but i think i have reasonably utilized my middle class background and my parent's support to be incredibly "normal". i live with my parents, have never been outside the United States and, for the forseeable future, am working part time at a government agency doing administrative work.

just makes me feel pretty numb.

i'm just now starting to get my shit together

i feel like it's a constant reevaluation of what I want out of life and how to weed out the things that hinder my ability to approach what i want

having a partner certainly helps

Career wise my late 20s. Still in my early 30s and starting to consider my personal life.

same as nick.

career-wise right after college at 22.
otherwise still working on it but i'd say most of the last eight months i've been in a pretty good place.

Would say pretty early on for me. Guess about mid 20s, when I was fully living on my own was that point.

Though wasn't really like noticeable or a big moment of realization. At least not at the time. Just kinda happened and seemed pretty logical/linear continuation of stuff.

Welcome aboard.

23

getting through that bit just after uni when everything fell apart and I was like Charlie Croker teetering on the brink.

I've very much enjoyed gradually getting my shit together in 13 years since that near miss/reprieve

still a bit of a loon though

Hi Damo