It is currently 9:10 PM on March 29th. Less than 3 hours until my birthday. I was born in 1988, and if you can correctly do math, you will know that I turn 24. My past few birthdays, I try to play it off as no big deal, like Im too grown to get all excited about it. I cant lie though, I still do get that excited. Not for gifts, like I would when I was younger, but more for the social recognition. I do like when someone takes the time to post on my FB or text me a "Happy Birthday" message. By the way, THANK YOU FACEBOOK; if it wasnt for you informing people when my birthday is, I wouldnt get as much recognition as I would without you! But earlier today, I asked myself, "Am I happy with where I am currently at in my life?" I honestly couldnt even answer it at the time. Now its not like Im depressed or anything like that, Im actually far from it, but I do have some frustrations. If you had told me when I was 16 that at age 24, I would still be working part-time at the local rec center by my house, still living with my parents, and had no relationship that lasted longer than 5 months, I probably would have smacked you in the face and called you a liar. At 16, I knew that I had many talents that I could turn into a succeful career. Draw, act, write, produce, etc. But I did make the mistake of not trying as hard as I should have in High School. So to you youngsters, take advantage what you got, and FOCUS ON YOUR EDUCATION. Back to my point, so my slacking early on has made a pretty big hole that I am currently trying to dig out of. So when asking myself if I was happy, I couldnt say yes because of that. By now, I wanted to lighten my parents financial burden permanently by having a successful career. They currently still live check-to-check for the most part. I try to chip in with the bills when I can. That , by far, is the most frustrating thing in my life. Not being able to lift that burden from them is a real big downer. I see a lot of my friends starting to settle down with their careers, which I cant be any happier for them about. I see soon to be lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers, and I must say, kudos to you. You worked hard to get there, so you deserve everything that comes your way. I wish I had that, but I dont. Its not too late to get there, but as of right now, I just dont. So I dont want to call myself a failure just yet. Another frustration is the relationship game. First and foremost, EVERYONE knows my love and appreciation for the opposite sex, LoL. But when it comes to relationships, its like I dont have a clue. I see some of my friends in LONG relationships, still happy, and I guess you can say I get a tad bit jealous. Not that single isnt fun, because it IS, but of course everyone at some point needs something more stable. Im tired of chasing some of these women around too, haha. So these frustrations do stick with me throughout some days, making the days hard to enjoy. BUT. A huge BUT... there are way more things that simply make my life better. The biggest is the fact that at 24, I still have both my parents. I cant explain how grateful and happy I am that I still have them. Some friends and even family of mine unfortunately do not have both around. Having both my parents around ALONE makes my life worth living. And of course I still have my bro and sis, smart and hardworking, to be extremely proud of. I also have family members who I cant express enough gratitude towards. Theyre always around and just genuinely good people. For instance, my uncle and my cousin drove 45 minutes today just to treat me to an early birthday lunch. With gas prices like this, I cant explain how much it meant for them to come out here! I have others cousins, who are more like best friends, that are around. Forever grateful for my family. And I havent even gotten to my friends yet. I still have friends from the 1st grade. Friends who never left my side, who were there during the worst times of my life. I dont know where I would be if they werent around to keep me sane. They know who they are, so no need for individual shout outs haha. Im going to steal an amazing story/quote that I actuallt just read today through someones FB, and Ill post it right now...
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jarand proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed..
'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children.
Spend time with your parents.
Visit with grandparents.
Take your spouse out to dinner.
Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand.’
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'
The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.
The fact that I read that today kind of makes me see it as a sign. A sign for me to not be so down on myself with those frustrations I stated earlier. Those are all things I know I can fix, as long as I word hard at it. I still have time. And even if I dont, Ill still have those golf balls in my life, which I should focus more on. So now when I ask myself that question I did earlier, I easily respond, "Happy? NO QUESTION. Maybe not fully satisfied. But Happy.....YES." I have to make sure 24 is an amazing and productive age for me! Happy Birthday to me.
Thanks for reading!
-WorkForChange
