April and May brought with them a string of bad luck for me-- mild car accident, $179 careless driving ticket, 4 flat tires, a fucked up rim, $277 failure to stop at a traffic signal ticket, fucked up brakes, and finallyyyyyyy the icing on the cake-- a stolen cell phone!
Despite all of these mishaps that made me want to just run my car into a tree, I'm actually very lucky and should be showing more appreciation for my life than bitching about it. First off, I was lucky enough to actually have $100 to spare for a replacement phone that I should be getting in by tomorrow seeing as most people don't have that luxury.. Second of all, I woke up this morning to find my car with brand new tires and rims, and my dad is getting the brakes fixed tomorrow.
My parents and I disagree on many issues, particularly those pertaining to my individual lifestyle. As an American native raised in a household of latin-based values, establishment and maintenance of a decent, conservative image has been imposed on me pretty much since the point in which I so fortunately received those two X chromosomes. Decency, in my family, can only be attained by females who only step foot out of their home to attend school or work, and who only ever live with parents or a husband. Women are also to not drink or be out past sunset, though the men may go about as they desire-- and drunkenly so, at that. 
But despite the never-ending disagreements my parents and I have, I can undoubtedly say that I am beyond fortunate to have them as parents. Through all the disagreements over insignificant bullshit I've come to understand that it has nothing to do with them wanting to be a nuisance to my life, it's simply a clash of different societal upbringings. Coming to terms with this has allowed for a significant decrease in stress level in my life, and now it's not such a big deal to me to stay home on a Saturday night in exchange for an ambiance of peace at home.
My parents go beyond their parental obligations, and often do so unrecognized. They didn't have to take time out of their day to get my car fixed, and they sure as hell didn't have to pay for my fuck up. Growing up, a lot of us become accustomed to our parents just dishing out cash while brushing off their "Money doesn't grow on trees!" comments.. but really.. money doesn't grow on trees, and money means so much more than just the objects its exchanged for.
My parents didn't just give someone pieces of green paper to get my car fixed, those pieces of paper symbolize hours on top of hours of them having busted their asses-- days, weeks, months, and years of waking up before sunrise and coming home past sunset beyond exhausted, only to cook dinner, eat, go to sleep, and do it all over again.
I appreciate my parents and realize how lucky I am to have them.. now I just need to work on showing that a little bit more.
|
My new tumblr url: pearlsandstring.tumblr.com :)
i know you missed me!