I’m Finally Happy, and It’s Making Everyone Nervous
I got my life together, and now everyone assumes I’ve joined a cult or pyramid scheme. Honestly, they’re not wrong — it’s called “hydration and boundaries.”
Stories with stubble. MANalogue dives into modern manhood — from quiet struggles to loud opinions — all told with humor, honesty, and sometimes, a hint of delusion.
I got my life together, and now everyone assumes I’ve joined a cult or pyramid scheme. Honestly, they’re not wrong — it’s called “hydration and boundaries.”
I’ve never been the best in the room — just the most committed to refusing to leave it. I succeed by outlasting people with boundaries.
Yes, I saw your text. I even rehearsed a reply in three emotional dialects. Then I floated into the ceiling like an emotionally unavailable Roomba.
No emails. No calls. No decisions to make. Just me, a lawn chair, and the raw, unsupervised freedom of temporary irrelevance.
No destination. No playlist. Just road noise, bottled water, and the faint hope that movement still counts as progress.
It wasn’t always fists. Sometimes it was silence, or jokes that hit just hard enough to make you close the door again.
She blinked twice and somehow read a 12-page PDF of my suppressed feelings. I just wanted chips.
The offices got nicer, the snacks got healthier, but I still wake up with jaw tension and a browser full of job listings I won’t apply to.
The lights are on, nobody’s home, and the Teams status is set to “Available (Emotionally Hollow).”
I’ve never seen him outside the squat rack, but he knows about my breakup, my sleep issues, and my macros. We’ve never made eye contact for more than three seconds.
All I know is I’m eating peanut butter with a spoon and calling it strategy.
He used a wrench and confidence. I used Yelp and panic. But hey, the drip’s gone — except the one in the mirror.