On accepting assistance

When I left the world of full time employment, it put the burden on my husband to support us- something he has been working towards and desiring but has not been in a position to do up to now. He is finishing his degree and while he's been working part time, it's basically a minimum wage job.

We knew the time was soon approaching when my salary would be deleted from our budget so he was already pursuing higher paying full time positions when I unexpectedly had to leave my job two months early. Things have worked out for us, and he's starting next week at a new, better job.

But even with that in place, we're going to be squeaking by. As such, we qualify for a few different types of assistance from our community. There are resources out there that help. It is a very new perspective for me to be on the applying/receiving end since I studied Child Development and have been a nurse in the outpatient setting for most of my career. I'm used to referring people to and offering these kinds of things. Not needing them.

But there is so much available!

My grocery list was basically cut in half this week because we got our food assistance up and running. What a huge relief. As it turns out, I've been anemic for a few weeks and getting the right fruits, veggies, and meats is becoming a big concern. My numbers aren't going up with my typical diet so I'm going to have to be more deliberate in what we eat this week. And the help we're getting financially is going to make that possible without being an added burden.

There is a reason these things are out there. Don't struggle. Don't get bogged down. Talk to someone at the health department or even your insurance agency and see what they can offer you.

I'll admit this has been easier for me to swallow since I have a huge baby belly leading out in all of the conversations I have. It is my "excuse" so to speak, when my pride needs it.

The dietitian I met with today put it this way- this is a system you've been paying into your whole life. It's just your turn to be on the receiving end for a little while.

And that's our plan. When he's done with school, my husband's career will pay for our needs. It's just for now, for the baby, when we need it most. And I'll tell you, since the moment it all went through my mind has been at ease, my attitude improved, my stress level decreased, my sleep is deeper and overall I feel more like myself.

Help is a good thing.