Pondering The Implications Of An Uncertain Future

I was injured in a car accident back in August. I chose not to write about it on this blog for a variety of reasons. However, my MRI results recently came back as showing a Tarlov cyst in my lower back and issues with several discs in my neck. As this blog is devoted to our mission to build a better life for ourselves, it now seems appropriate to consider what would happen if my health deteriorates significantly, before we reach old age.

Our debt cripples us with respect to our current options.  We would most certainly succumb to financial hardship if I became unable to work in the next few years.  This unavoidable truth is one of the driving forces behind our efforts to destory debt as quickly as possible.  We are striving for freedom.  The goal is for our survival to not be so dependent on income from any one job.

I don’t want to go into my symptoms or prognosis too much, but I will say that there is potential for progressive issues.  It is possible that, over time, my problems could become so severe as to disable me from performing my job.  In reality though, some other, unrelated injury could happen any day with the same results.  I’m not going to operate under an assumption that disability will emminently flow from these injuries.  Rather, I feel the need to consider the possibility, along with any other unfortunate ailment or accident that could occur and desimate our plans.  While not usually a pessimist, it is important to think about the “what if’s,” especially as the breadwinner of the family.

On the practical side, I’m wondering whether it would be wise to increase my long-term disability insurance coverage.  I need to do some investigation and make some calculations, but it might be a smart decision.  Increased coverage would cost more money that couldn’t be used towards paying off our debt, but provide us with additional, continued income (a percentage of my current amount) if the worst case scenario comes true.  There is also assistance like Social Security Disability.  Again, I would need to do some research to determine just how much money we could hope for in benefits.  You need to have earned a certain number of working “credits” during your lifetime.  If you have, there are benefits available for you and members of your family.

What if I’m not able to work my regular job, but I could still do side hustle work?  This journey started, in large part, due to disatisfaction with my career.  I am a firm believer in the mantra that, “everything happens for a reason.”  If I were to become disabled, perhaps I wouldn’t be able to acheive any type of early retirement.  It would certainly be more difficult to pay off debt and build up our assets without my good salary.  But perhaps I could learn to support my family by expanding my freelance work.  It just might be a way out of suffering through my current job for the next six years, as currently planned.

There is the physical side of things to consider as well.  What if I were in too much pain to do much work at all, let alone enjoy time with my family?  Well, that would be horrible.  I often complain about how much time our jobs take away from living life, but we still need to be thankful for, and take full advantage of, our time off the clock.  It’s sobering to consider that there are many people who live with pain every single moment of their lives.  They can’t enjoy simple things without discomfort eroding away their happiness.

I suffer from constant anxiety about whether we’re making the right decisions  Am I wasting away my present in anticipation for a future that may never come?  What happens if I reach my goals, but my health deteriorates to a point where I am no longer able to enjoy the life I’ve dreamed of, and worked towards, for so long.  I will research my options in order to protect us, get treatment for my injuries, and hope for the best.  This is just one more reminder to stop and enjoy every day.  The future is an indefinite, unpredictable destination.