> On the other hand, my wife has lived the American dream. Homeless as a teenager, knows what hunger is, but now, as a 47 year old woman, has a successful caree

> On the other hand, my wife has lived the American dream. Homeless as a teenager, knows what hunger is, but now, as a 47 year old woman, has a successful career, happy family, and comfortable lifestyle. I escaped teenage homelessness with help - like the rest of the few who do. I next did all the bootstrappy things (>20y of long self-employed hours). Finally made just over basic bills servicing auto dealerships when the housing crash ended that. Pivoted to medical clients and started rebuilding but then the ACA supercharged local medical practice closures so I pivoted to geothermal. But then a wealthy partner cleaned out the company and it shuttered. Meanwhile spouse's mental health issues steadily worsened. During the above I increasingly became her caregiver and ~sole parent to 5. She needed long-term, inpatient care but it's only available to the wealthy or as state-run hellholes for select incarcerated. Outcome was hunger level poverty throughout the 2010s, for me + kids. We only escaped it because kids became old enough to work. Just in time for the 4-income economy. We live together now because that's our single option. Spouse was in the Rockies, last I heard. Moral of the story, the strongest drivers of success are always factors beyond our control. Will and effort follow somewhere behind that.