EXPERATION DATE

My debit card expires this month. Typically there isn’t a need for an announcement. Normally we all just live through the irritating process of updating our auto payments. This is not something you announce on Facebook. At least I didn’t… until 2026.

You see, this month marks the anniversary of when I got my own bank account. The month I put myself first. The month I decided I was important enough not only to leave a marriage, but to put faith in my own future. It was a month when the only money I had to deposit was my current paycheck. No padding. No hidden cash. That electronic check deposit from my employer was it.

I was absolutely terrified, but I moved forward. Tiny step by tiny step. I took hold of my financials… the good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly… and I marched.

It was the month my friends showed me they truly love me. It was also the month I realized that I truly love myself.

February 2023 was the month and year I started over, afraid. And in February 2026, I find myself living a life I love. One filled with gratitude, happiness, and eagerness to keep marching.