Brian opened his eyes after a decent night’s sleep. He hadn’t slept well in weeks. He was just so tired that his body finally took over and forced him to crash. His eyes moved around the room, but his body didn’t want to move. He really didn’t have any reason to get out of bed today, which was sad in itself.

Brian had been struggling for a while. His dead-end job wasn’t taking him anywhere and his three-year relationship just ended. Now, it was almost the start of a new year, and he was sad as he thought about what was to come.

Brian was working in a retail job, that he hated. He liked some of his coworkers but his current supervisor had no leadership skills. He couldn’t figure out how the guy got promoted, but he was stuck with the man, at least for now. He had been working there since before his relationship and he had trouble getting enough motivation to look for something else.

Change was hard for Brian. When he was growing up, his mother moved often with him and his brother, sometimes in the middle of the night. He learned later that it was because she didn’t pay the rent, not because she didn’t want to but because she struggled to earn enough to pay the bills. Moving a lot made things hard. He went to different schools, in different places, and struggled to make friends as he got older. He never knew how long he would be in the current place, and it was just easier not to get attached.

When he finally graduated from high school, and could make his own choices, he left his mother’s home and didn’t look back. He worked a few jobs before he got hired at his current store. He liked it in the beginning, but it was only the last year with his new supervisor that things got bad. He could pay his bills, but didn’t have anything left over at the end of the month and that was a problem at times.

Brian met Sarah, his ex, at work. They worked together for a year before Brian got the courage to ask her out. They had a lot in common in the beginning and were living together when she left. He thought about the fight they had about the future, and the day she packed and left.

Sarah wanted Brian to use the company perk and go to school. She thought he could be a better supervisor, and would be a great manager, but he didn’t have the confidence. The fight they had went on for a week, and she finally said that she was leaving. She moved back with her family when she left. He still saw her at work but avoided her when he could. She always looked sad when she looked at him.

Brian lay in bed without moving and just thought about missing Sarah and feeling stuck. He wanted things to change but had no idea how to start. He really didn’t have anyone to help him figure things out. His mother was still struggling and moving a lot and they really didn’t have any family for support. His brother wasn’t really doing anything, so Brian was stuck. How could he change the future if he didn’t know how and didn’t have anyone to ask.

He decided he would just stay in bed, at least for this day. He didn’t have to work and had nowhere to go. It seemed like the right thing to do after such a bad year, at least for now.

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