Appreciation. The word appreciation hits a nerve whenever i say it. Growing up it was a part of the foundation that has made me who i am today. From day one i was taught to appreciate what i have even if it wasn't very much. The importance of this lesson would come to fruition years and years later after my first year of college.
Living away from home without any immediate supervision was a new experience for me. I didn't have a curfew and i didn't need permission for anything. At first glance i thought i had hit a gold mine of freedom but would later find out that the freedom i gained would eventually tie me down. Late nights led to skipped classes led to a less than stellar GPA which ultimately led to academic probation. This was hard for me to stomach. Never in all of my previous scholastic endeavors had i been threatened with expulsion. I felt my heart stop at the thought of being a disappointment to my family as well as myself for such a petty reason. When my heart began to pump blood again i returned home for a talk with my mother.She put my life in perspective in one statement.
"I worked two jobs, raised you by myself and still managed to graduate from college. So what's your excuse?" (She did all of this while keeping a B average I might add) Her words hit me like a Mack truck. Before that day no one could tell me anything but i soon realized that i didn't know s#!t from apple butter nor did i appreciate my opportunity to further my education. There was a time when people fought for the opportunity to receive an education and i was literally drinking mine in and pissing it out.
That conversation was a major turning point in my life when i realized what i had been doing and what i needed to do in order to get back on track. Without my mother here to keep my head on straight my life would be very different. Today, on the brink of graduation and the next leg of my life, i understand and appreciate this lesson more than ever. ---Please comment and share a lesson you have learned with me. You might teach me a little somethin'.
