Danette

Quick background.

We've been together since I started college, and we instantly hit it off.

The moment we looked into each other's eyes, we both felt this otherworldly spark that drew us together.

It was pure magic.

Since then, we've been through so many ups and downs together.

He supported me through the passing of my mother and all of my dad's grieving antics after.

Although we've had times where he has broken my trust, we mended it and moved forward together.

I thought for so long that we were soulmates, but over the past year or so I've been feeling myself slowly pull away and growing distant.

He has been stagnant in life, especially career-wise.

About six months ago, he quit his apprenticeship in becoming an auto technician because he felt he was unable to finish the required lessons by the deadline, which was at the end of the month at the time.

Frankly, he was unmotivated because he didn't love his job, and he hasn't found a new one since.

There's nothing for him to fall back on, and he doesn't know how to find a job doing something he would actually like.

Ideally, he would like to make a living off of his art instead, but he has no vision or plans on how to do that.

Not making money from his art makes him feel dejected and depressed, which piles on top of his responsibilities of taking care of his aging parents and grandmother alone since he still lives at home with them and his brother won't lift a finger to help.

That's a whole different issue.

I've tried and tried over the years to advise him on how to get out of there, chase his dreams, and find steady income in the meantime, even if it's not through his art.

But nothing sticks.

I've exhausted every option I can think of to help, and sometimes I feel like I'm taking on a parental role, which I think I'm beginning to resent.

He just feels hopeless.

I've suggested that he needs to go to therapy to seek the tools and advice that is outside of my wheelhouse of expertise, though I know he can't really afford that.