It’s not a contest. And he doesn’t sound stupid, geez.

40F here. Might get a frost tonight but an actual freeze seems unlikely

So some of this is going to be hard to read, may sound harsh, or seem like it’s just coming from some jackass who doesn’t know your life. All of that is true. Firstly, if you haven’t already, run through your bank statements and nuke every subscription you have that you cannot justify to a judge. Fun spend? That’s gone. This includes beer, cigs, coffee in a paper cup, or avocado mashed on a piece of toasted brioche. Paying for RedZone, unlimited data, or Planet Fitness, well, stop paying for that. If I recall correctly, you have kids, so you should be exceedingly mindful in how you’re handling this in front of them. I grew up in a travel trailer with limited heat and had a couple chunks of my childhood marked by Mac and cheese for several nights in a row or making a trip to the church pantry. I do appreciate my Mom and Dad keeping their spirits up making sure my brother and I had our needs met first. So you’ve cut everything at this point, maybe sold the PS5, eBay’d some sports memorabilia, so what’s next? Social services. You live in Oregon, a state that when ranked for services is only beaten by Minnesota and Massachusetts. That a good thing if you can’t find your boot straps or some other unrealistic American trope for someone in your situation. My wife works for the Washington state department of social and health services and has given me the full picture of what is out there for state aid, and a quick Google search shows that Oregon’s equivalent is the Oregon Department of Human Services. You will have access to a social worker who will personally guide you through assistance and aid programs ranging from rental assistance, home health care (includes baby sitting or basic house keeping depending on the need and situation), to food programs separate from SNAP/WIC, and even technology and employment help (job counseling and employment matching). This is should all be in addition to any federal benefits you are most likely getting. Once you’ve gone through the website, taken some notes, requested assistance, then you probably can start looking for work. Skills? Education? Professional experience? Easier said than done, but finding white collar work with a state institution will be the quickest way to something that will be both stable and much more accommodating to your health situation. If you had an episode and were injured on the job or had your employment threatened over something tied to your disability even though your employer made commitments to accommodation because you voluntarily disclosed your health and disability status before and during your employment, you might have a case. Find someone pro-bono or who has worked with the disability community and has worked cases around the Americans with Disabilities Act. Odds are low that someone will take the case unless you have text messages or documents that can help construct a narrative of discrimination. Lastly, recognize that this is a quest that will require more sacrifices than you have made, hard decisions you’ll have to make, and will be filled with tedious paperwork, phone calls, and arcane sounding requirements. But you probably already knew all of that. https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/aging-disability-services/pages/default.aspx

Ever think about working for yourself? People around here are always looking for people to do yard work. Starts at like 30-40 bucks an hour cash to rake leaves or pull weeds. Not sure if you could do that with your medical history but I don’t think pulling weeds is more strenuous than janitorial work.

We need Mount Saint Helen’s to erupt