Living Through the Longest Government Shutdown in History

We’re now in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. That’s not exactly the kind of record anyone wants to see broken — but here we are.

For most people, it’s just another story on the news. For us, it’s personal. My wife works for the government, so when things shut down, our life shifts into a strange kind of limbo. Every day feels like waiting for an update that never comes, hoping that today might finally be the day someone decides to move things forward.

We’ve been through shutdowns before, but never one that’s dragged on this long. It’s emotionally exhausting — not just because of the financial uncertainty of not knowing when your next paycheck will come, but because it wears on your sense of normalcy. You start to question when things will feel stable again, or if you should even plan for next week.

We’re fortunate to be okay financially, but I can’t stop thinking about the hundreds of thousands of families who aren’t. People are sitting around their kitchen tables right now trying to figure out how to make rent or pay for groceries — and that thought sticks with me.

To make things even more complicated, we’re supposed to fly to Puerto Rico on Thursday for a cruise we’ve been planning for over a year. Normally, I’d be buzzing with excitement, but right now, that’s been replaced by a mix of stress and uncertainty. Thousands of flights are being canceled every day, and we’ve even booked a car to drive back from Houston if we have to (yay road trip?). Still, I’m holding onto hope that progress will be made soon — not just for us, but for everyone caught up in this mess.

And for me, stress isn’t just an emotion; it’s physical. Living with Multiple Sclerosis means my body reacts to tension in ways I can’t control. My balance gets worse, fatigue hits harder, and everything feels heavier. It’s like my body is echoing the stress I’m trying so hard to ignore.

Even so, I keep reminding myself to look for the good where I can find it. A quiet morning with coffee. A cuddle with Ghost. Building something with LEGO to get out of my own head. Small things that remind me that life keeps moving — even when the world feels stuck.

We all need to have faith that this will work out. It might not happen overnight, but eventually (Hopefully soon, if you believe the news), things will move forward again. And for the love of God, we need to stop the hate. The anger, the finger-pointing, the constant divide — none of it helps. We’re all in this together, whether we think alike or not. It’s time we start acting like it.