Broke as fuck

Time: 2007
Place: Bus stop, Lafayette CO

It’s 5:15am and I need to leave for work. Before I do, I’m hunting around my room for loose change so I can have bus money. Nothing... fuck. My roommates aren’t up yet so I can’t ask them. Not that I would want to anyways... then they would know how broke I am. I leave the house, throw my headphones on, put my hood up and light up a refried cigarette. I walk to the bus stop, and sit on the cold bench waiting for the bus to arrive. I don’t have money for the fare, but I have to get to work, I can’t afford to lose my job. The bus pulls up, I get on, reach in my pockets and pretend to be surprised that my imaginary bus pass isn’t in my pockets. He tells me that I can’t get on without a bus pass or paying the fare, “really, man? I’ll make sure I have it next time, I promise”. He doesn’t let me on. I wait 12 minutes for the next bus, I repeat my act and he waves me on with a nod.

I was broke as fuck. My bank account was regularly overdrafted. I lived on cereal, Totinos pizzas and Pop-Tarts. Every paycheck was gone before I even got it. The bus fare to get to work every day was $1.25, and there were times where I didn’t have the 5 quarters I needed. At this point I still managed to make rent and keep a roof over my head but later in my story, this wasn’t the case...

Being broke is a humbling experience, it truly makes a person grateful for the little things in life. It teaches a person the true value of a dollar. It shows a person to never get too comfortable, no matter their financial situation. It creates empathy for those out there still struggling, for the less fortunate. Well I can’t speak for everybody... but I'm grateful to say it did all these things for me.