Nate: Let me get this straight… you were living the life of a hobo/transient/vagabond/etc., you knocked up a woman, now you’re stuck with the situation, and are unhappy that you can’t go back to the hobo life? That about sum it up? Seems to be a serious issue with laziness.

#1 Hopping the next train out-of-town isn’t going to solve your problems. In my neck of the woods, it would turn you into a corpsicle, which would, in a way, I guess, solve your problems. However, when you impregnated that woman, you irrevocably changed your position. Not simply from a societal standpoint, but also from a biological standpoint. Care of offspring is generally instinctive in mammals, and probably relates to the more-or-less hardwired drive to transfer genes to the next generation. Love it or hate it, you co-created your daughter, and hopping the next train isn’t going to un-make her.

#2 The work until you die issue isn’t just for the 9-5 set. Ever stop to think that if nobody actually worked, there would be no trains to ride, no shelters to come to in bad weather, etc. Here’s the kicker: you work in life whether you are hopping freight trains, or doing the 9-5 thing.

#3 You are financially where you are because instead of developing marketable skills, you elected to live a transient lifestyle. Depending on where you are, there are community colleges that have night classes, etc. Heck, even in Podunkville where I live, there is a community college that offers night classes. So, the question is: are you going to put out the effort to better yourself, or adopt the “work is for schmucks” position?

While I wasn’t a hobo, for some time after law school, I took a series low-paying jobs in a very low spot in my life, while I was blaming a bunch of things on other people. I decided that I was the only person who could change my career outlook, and so I did. Was it easy? Heck no. But, it was worth it.

Anita: Hehe the Id and the superego. I wish parents would imprint more superego on their spawn sometimes. Contrary to popular politically-correct ideology, there is still a time and a place for a good swift kick in the arse.