I’m going to try to keep this brief so I may leave something out that’s important, i apologize in advance.
25 and I just feel so stuck. I live in Appalachia, what I call the home of married and pregnant by 25. And all of my friends are – I mean every one. To say it makes it hard is an understatement. In my area there are no “go on meetup.com” most things just don’t apply here. I do have a very good job at a local mill but I want to do something else with my life. I have spent time in other areas and I just felt so alive. Here it’s so mundane unless you want to be on a barstool – I don’t.
I have very strong thoughts of packing up my life and moving somewhere and figuring it out (ideally finding a job first) truthfully I would but I have a pitbull who is my best friend and currently laying beside me. It’s became hard enough to find rentals that allow pets, yet alone pitbulls. She could go back to my ex but obviously I don’t want that to happen. I just don’t want to feel like I’m giving up on her even though I’m sure she would be happier (room to run and play outside all day) can’t do that where I live now.
I’m just so ready to start living my twenties and not just going through the motions. But at the same time I’m horrified to leave the comfort, I mean look at the world we live in now. It has also dawned on me I need to go back to school or something cause it’s getting pretty difficult to land jobs without a degree and I don’t want to do factory work forever. I’ve even thought about the military but again… my dog. Any advice is appreciated, thanks internet mom and dad.
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Comfort is both a blessing and a curse. It feels both safe and stale, both protective but suffocating. You know what, in 10years time, if you don’t move you will always have ‘what ifs’. You said pregnant at 25 but haven’t mentioned kid since, is this kid around? Before I offer any advice as I’m looking at you and the dog without understanding if there’s a kid as it will be different.
If you can find a job first and find a rental where you can own a dog, I would move, but I understand it can absolutely be challenging to find both of those things.
Feeling stuck is very hard. It can be totally worth it to be in a place with more options it’s just frustrating and expensive to get there
Ok, I’m gonna be harsh here because I do feel you need a solid push.
You’re using your dog as an excuse to take a leap of faith. Bottom line is that there are places that take dogs. It’s harder sure, but far from impossible. Get off your ass and go make it happen.
You said your dog would be happier with your ex. If you move, you have to be worried about breed specific laws in addition to any rules your apartment has. Let your dog go be happy with your ex. Love sometimes requires letting go.
You mentioned military. If you think that is a good fit sooner is better. It gets harder as you get older. Use them to pay for college.
There are many great things about Appalachia. The outdoors are so close. Big cities have their draws but can get old also. People move to big cities then say they can’t make friends even using things like meetup, so don’t expect it to be a magic bullet. Find your hobbies and the community that supports it, that should help you make friends.