I took a sabbatical month between jobs, living in a (somewhat cushy) emergency fund, and while we were traveling my partner got sick with something and had to be rushed to a hospital. I called an ambulance at 7AM, and by noon she was back in bed, medicated and feeling much better. We didn’t spend a single dime, not even on the medication, and it’s crazy to me to think that if we were in the US that experience would’ve basically bankrupt us for no reason other than bad timing.

It’s in these moments that the fact that I’ve paid an absurd amount in taxes over the years just… disappears.