On Jan. 8 2024, it will be five years after I woke up to find my house on fire. I lost my pets, my home was looted, and friends lied and stole from me as well. I had no homeowners insurance. I was in the hospital for 4 days for burns, and I knew I had two choices - curl up and cry or rebuild. I had chosen to get out of the house even though I knew my life was going to change forever, and thankfully I was able to get out. It’s still a struggle to deal with the anger about what happened, for I feel anger more than the sadness over my loss.
But, things have gotten better. While I’ll never be thankful for the fire, good has come from it. I found an amazing new career, I have a small apartment with a loving cat, and I try to surround myself with positive people. People like Kitboga. Hearing that I matter has really helped when things get dark.
Jan. 8th is remembered with a day off work every year, but to celebrate “Glad to Be Alive Day” and not the anniversary of the fire. While I wished I could have gone from fire to where I am now, I learned valuable lessons about who my friends are and what I should surround myself with every day.
Everyone deserves to have people who care about them, and people do care. You might not know them yet, or they might be someone you connect with through a stream like Kit’s, but people do care. It will get better, but it’s okay to mourn what you have lost.