Last Monday I was having a terrible day. Like meltdown in the car on the way home from work type of day. It wasn't one particular instance but for some odd reason I felt like I was failing in everything aspect of my life. It was hard for me to see past all the negatives that had been building up. I was frustrated with things that weren't going my way because I had stopped making the effort in the first place. Luckily, I have an extrememly supportive mother who sat there and listened to me vent about everything.
This mini crisis was frustrating but at the same time made me take a step back. Why was I upset? I had so much to be thankful for but instead decided to focus all my energy on the bad. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving I figured I would share a few things that I'm grateful for in my life. The first being my supportive and loving parents. Majority of my life I've complained about their overbearing ways, breathing down my neck and always wanting to know my business. But when I take a step back, I'm pretty darn lucky to have parents who actually care deeply about me and my happiness.
It's funny to think how we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we don't even take a second to think about how there's so many other kids whose parents have simply cared more about themselves and how much that affects them later on in life.
In my case, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them. If it wasn't for them sacrificing to help me get through college or through Catholic elementary school and high school. They make it look easy. But in reality choosing to send us to these particular schools was an extremely big sacrifice. Think of all the money they could have saved? They could have bought their dream home in Hawaii and said "Cya later kids, have fun fending for yourselves." But no. They endured the hardship to set us up for a better life.
When adding up all the things they've done throughout the years, I start to think of the ways us kids can return the favor. But it's frustrating because I don't know where to start. What I've come to realize is that even though I'm not in the financial state to pay them back, in the meantime, I can make contributions in other ways. Like taking them out to lunch -- or in my case paying a little extra rent each month.
So, this Thanksgiving enjoy the turkey, enjoy your time off but most importantly enjoy the time you have with your family. Not to get cliche but time is the most valuable commodity. Use it wisely.
-Ash