It’s been a while since my last installment of CoPFB and with all of my recent life changes in the works, it’s high-time I continue with my series as the next piece reflects a monumental shift in my life…at that time, the second of sorts that would inevitably be the building blocks for the financial life I now lead.
When I last left off, I shared my story about becoming homeless, penniless, and mostly direction-less. All of that changed one fateful day when I made my weekly trek to my P.O. box.
A habit I’d begrudgingly established out of sheer necessity to keep my credit score intact, I hated picking up my mail. There were days when all I wanted to do was drop the stack straight into the recycling bin because I knew the letters and envelopes I held possessed nothing but further bad news for my financial health. But as luck would have it, that day would change everything in a greatly positive way.
As I weeded through the stacks of “pay us now” credit card bills and junk mail (ironically, you can still be solicited to open more credit even when you don’t have a full-time job and your current credit cards are nearly maxed out!), I came across a standard-sized envelope with a crimson logo in the return address area. Immediately, my heart sank as I thought this no doubt had to be a rejection letter.
You see, even when all hell was breaking loose with my financial situation, I still managed to keep my professional and educational pursuits on the straight & narrow. A month before the job drama, I had applied to a host of graduate schools. In an effort to infuse some humor into the process, I applied to Harvard thinking that I had a snowball’s chance in hell at being accepted. After all, I was just a country bumpkin who managed to get good grades at a state school. I clearly did not see myself as Ivy League material.
Apparently, Harvard thought differently. In my hand, I was holding an invitation to take part in the on-campus interview process…in 2 weeks. Let’s just say the phrase “flood of adrenaline” doesn’t come close to describing how I felt as I literally sprinted out of the Post Office, ran the 6 blocks to my friend’s apartment, and burst through the front door breathless all the while screaming, “I’m going to Boston!!!”
A long story short, I had my interviews, was accepted, and promptly moved myself–along with $14,000 in credit card debt–across the country to Boston within a month. More than the beginning of my graduate studies, this was a second chance at getting ALL of the pieces of my life together. As I sat in my (charged on my credit card) coach seat on the plane ride there, I couldn’t help but think that amazing things were in store for me and that no matter what life threw my way, my hard work, determination, and positive outlook would always win out in the end…..
This post is part of my Confessions of a PF Blogger series. Other posts include:
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: The Series
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: No Happy Meal for You
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: $0.25 per Quart
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: 16 Candles
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: $5,500 in Cash
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: A Slow Slide into Credit Card Debt Hell
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: $1 to My Name
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: Homeless
- Confessions of a PF Blogger: Powerless
