20 YEARS AGO AND 20 YEARS LATER

[MrZee]

20 years ago in 1999, “Y2K” was looming on the horizon. The whole world was anxiously awaiting what would happen when 2000 would click. Well, it came ... quite uneventfully and we all survived the hoopla.

Back then I was working a well paid stable job making good money and had no financial worries. I was a computer programmer in a cubicle in corporate America. Yet I was miserable and felt trapped. I was so unhappy with such a boring isolated vocation let alone all the corporate BS going on around me. Yet I felt too helpless letting go of such a comfortable income.

After 2000 passed and as many know, the Dot Com bubble burst. And yours truly was one of the masses that was individually taken into a room and handed my pink slip.

Though I felt relieved to be out of there, for a whole year I plunged into a terrible depression not knowing what I wanted to do. Then came the financial problems of not having a steady paycheck.

A year or so after my layoff, I ended up going back to school which was a good lift to the esteem. And since then I’ve worked various jobs just to make ends meet.

20 years later I work as a part time Admin Assist. at a college. I’m happy to say that I love my job and the people I work with. Income-wise I make about 1/3 then I did 20 years ago. Money is a lot more sparse and I can barely make ends meet. But here’s the wonderful part: I’m happy.

I survived Y2K, two layoffs over the years and have a part time job that I love. My heart feels wealthy.

As we approach the New Year I wish everyone the best and truly hope we all can find that element out there (whatever it is) that brings us fulfillment.

All my best,

-MZ ❤️

[kenster1]

yeah that was nuts everything was about to stop.inner happiness will always outweigh financial happiness I think.

[Hidden]

I remember I was in the hospital that night from a severe asthma attack. Found my husbands online chat playing games from those nights, talking to women he knew and was probably sleeping with and complaining that he had to go see me at the hospital.

20 years later, I'm with my current husband and two wonderful children. Times have surely changed. Maybe this is a good way to remind ourselves of the changes we have made and the many things we have conquered.

[MrZee in reply to Hidden]

Progress is beautiful, isn’t it? ❤️

[Hidden in reply to MrZee]

Yes, it is. Of course I have new problems, but that's life. It's still forward momentum.

[MrZee in reply to Hidden]

Hun, problems will always be with us. However it’s all about dancing around them that keeps us on a positive path. ❤️

[Hidden in reply to MrZee]

Thank you