I found myself gaining consciousness to face a harsh and barren landscape, awake at last... but alone. 

Scouring the arid landscape of the job market and braving the crushing atmospheric pressure from comparison with the peers who had gone before me, was not like anything i've ever felt in my 28 years as a carbon based life form on earth. 

The days were arduously long and the nights even longer. Many times i felt like giving up and had thought to myself : "I'm going to die on this planet..." without ever being able to provide for my family.

There were good days though. A faint glimmer of light amidst these dark nights of soul. It felt foreign at first, the reprieve of facing the day with hope again. With a smile again.

What brought about the change? I started to remember my crew. Though they couldn't be physically there for me 24/7, i chose to remember the support and love they showed me instead of focusing on the tough circumstances. My half full glass was looking less empty than i thought!

And before i knew it, whatever poop that life threw at me was repurposed into fertilizer. Nourishing the seeds of destiny for my future. 

"A man's spirit sustains him even in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?"

I'm not gonna die on this planet. Even if it kills me.