Boxed In

I've never been a boxer. I've never stepped inside the ropes with the intent of punching someone. But somehow, I feel the analogy of a boxer cornered and having to find their way out is appropriate to my life these days. Do you "bob and weave" like Muhammad Ali to avoid the punches? Do you cover up and absorb the non-fatal blows waiting for your opponent to tire and for you to escape? Do you fight with everything you've got, flailing at your opponent in a desperate attempt get free but also opening yourself up to a knockout punch that could floor you?

August 1st will be noteworthy date. Here in the United States, the extended unemployment benefits of $600 per week expire. Thousands, possibly millions, of unemployed have relied on this benefit to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, gas in the auto, and prescriptions being refilled. Personally, that added benefit has allowed me to pay my "employee portion" of my health care insurance for the past two months. Like a hook to the ribs, August 1st marks the day my employer will no longer cover the "employer portion" of my health care insurance. So it will be the double whammy of losing health insurance (which I can't afford to shoulder the entire monthly premium) and losing the unemployment benefit which was helping to cover at least my portion. Finally, the federal moratorium on evictions ends. Where landlords and mortgage holders were prohibited from evicting people based upon non-payment during the pandemic, they will now be permitted to do so. I feel safe for August and probably September financially. Except, of course, without health insurance any serious accident or illness will bankrupt me.

Career-wise, the industry I've worked in for nearly 30 years has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and will be one of the last to fully return to some sense of normalcy. It is a profession to which I've dedicated my life. Although I know some skills are always transferable, what I've done is admittedly somewhat specialized. Logic tells me that I can't outlast a virus which has no inclination to slow down or go away. I'll have to start all over in a new profession. How many companies are going to be eager to hire a 50-something year old at my necessary salary range for likely only 5-15 years when they can hire someone half my age and salary with a potential to be with them for 40 years?

Finally, on the home front, how do I escape in the event I have to or want to? What happens if September or October rolls around and I can't pay the rent? If I can't afford the rent, I certainly can't afford the costs of moving, storage, or relocation of my belongings? How do I downsize to a more affordable location without a solid, verifiable source of income? I'd have to guess "furloughed, no return date determined" doesn't exactly jump out at renters as being a solid reference from my employer. If I'm lucky enough to find a new job in a new city, how do I physically get there? Looking at things, I'd say the answer is racking up the credit card debt that I previously had successfully been able to pay down.

At this moment, I feel like the "bob and weave" strategy is best for me. Keep ducking the punches the best I can while I wait for the bell to ring and end the round. It may be exhausting and stressful, but if I can survive I can come out forceful during the next round. Fortunately, I am able to do this a little while longer. Come August 1st, many will not be able to avoid the knockout punch. None of us signed up for this. None of us willingly entered this ring. None of us were trained for this kind of fight. Let us learn along the way and in the end be stronger for the bout.