Standing on this edge has a distinct emotional resonance. Still not falling, that brings its own solace, the choice made for you by gravity. This is worse, Before this is the moment. The tipping. The maybe. The still-possible-to-save-this-if-you-just...
At the edge of failure, you convert into a catastrophe accountant. Precisely computing how terrible it may get. Money you lack. The ones you will let down. The I-told-you-so's marching like vultures. Each one more complex than the last, your brain loops catastrophes in simulations.
The company is losing money rapidly. Worst kind of finale. Your degree is unfinished since in the same term you ran out of money and excuses. People claim you have failed only when you give up. Those individuals have never stood on this border. Never actually felt their feet caving under them in real-time. Stopping starts to resemble mercy rather than failure.
