Outstanding read, Mr Fixer. Stories like that should be required reading for those who think things are that rough here. Admit it or not, we have been and are living in the time of greatest plenty this world has ever seen. In this country, you have the opportunity to go as far as your aptitude, ambition, and work ethic will take you. That said, not everybody gets to be a NASA scientist. But if you show up, early, sober, dressed to work, do what you're told, and don't spend half the day finger f@#%&*g your phone, you'll be amazed how far you can go. Bored? Grab a broom. Can't find 40 hours? Find a second job. Even the least well off here have it better than 90% of the world's population, and just because you're here in the U.S. doesn't mean anybody owes you anything. I spent a lot of summers cutting grass after work for other people, building decks on weekends, sheetrocking and such during the winters. Not every day, not every weekend, not every year, but when the opportunity was there. Just some side hustle as the kids call it. Just a little extra to try to get ahead.
Pandemic mental health? Doin' as well as can be. Lost my wife's brother in January after a 16 month bout with lung cancer. 50 years old. The fog's starting to lift a bit from that. He lived 20 minutes from us and we took him to appointments regularly, saw him a few times a week. Enjoy every day, find good where you can...