Same Book - Different Chapter: Weekend Freewrite -11/23/2019 - Single Prompt Option
Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
The Dalai Lama
Weekend Freewrite -11/23/2019 - Single Prompt Option
Sometimes we forget what it was like to be teenagers growing up and challenging our parents. Because we wanted to do things our way, we thought we knew what we wanted and how we were going to go about accomplishing it.
Our parents usually just shook their heads and warned us what would happen if we didn't follow their directions. And don't it let it turn out they were right, and you totally messed up. Then sometimes they would say, "We told you so. Why do it this way when that way is easier? Next time, you'll listen to us. Why do you want to make things harder on yourself? We've traveled that road before, and we know the outcome."
That may be, but sometimes we just wanted to branch out and do something different. We weren't trying to make things hard on ourselves. We intentionally went down a different path just to see what was at the other end. A different outcome.
Source2
Yes, it's true that our parents traveled the paths we were about to step onto and venture down the unknown roads to wherever we thought was best for us. And to be honest, we did get a few "I Told You So" reprimands.
I also remember how it felt to be so totally and utterly wrong. But it was a learning experience. A lesson that no one else could teach us.
So when I had my own family, I promised myself that I would not do the same things that my parents did as far as telling my kids how to live their lives. Of course, we directed them in their younger years.
I remember when my son went to college. We dropped him off and everything seemed fine. We were happy on our way back home. We were already planning our return for when he would walk across the stage and graduate like our oldest daughter.
He was to come for a visit in two weeks. But after a week and not hearing from him, we started to wonder what was going on. He told us everything was fine. Then he eventually admitted during the end of the first semester during the holiday break that he didn't feel college was for him and didn't want to return. We were bewildered. We wondered why he went through the motions of applying and preparing to go once he'd been accepted.
So we urged him to give it another semester, and he'd change his mind. But he didn't. He said he had other plans for his life. It took us a couple years for it to really sink in that he was serious about not returning. Of course, we just knew he'd have a hard time in his life without higher education.
As parents, we were heartbroken that he didn't take the path we thought he should. But we had to step back from the situation and decided and let him live his life as a grownup. As I remember that episode in our lives, it reminds me of a poem I love by a famous author:
Source1
The Road not Taken
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
...
...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by
Robert Frost.
Source3
I always wonder what his life would have been and where would it had taken him had he obtained a 4-year degree. But that path would have been familiar doing what others did before him. He wanted to go his own way.
No, he didn't get the 4-year degree we thought he should. He told us he was happy with his life. The one thing he did do that was a surprise to us was that he talked about the important of getting a higher education to his younger sister. He even suggested she attend the college that he didn't finish from.
Life is so funny sometimes the way things turn out.
He didn't make the amount of money we thought he should make. He didn't get the type of job we thought would suit him perfectly. He didn't marry the person we thought was right for him.
What he did do was he got a job that was perfect for him; made enough money to take care of himself; and found the right person for his personality.
And up until the day he passed away several years ago, we never had to say "I TOLD YOU SO!"
Thanks,
@justclickindiva
Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever you are working on.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickin logo created at CoolText.Com
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) Separator Lines Free ClipArt Belt from Public Domain Vectors & ShadedLine from ClipArt-Library
e) All Tribe logos used with permission of Tribe Discord Channel admins.
- Source1 - Image by kirkandmimi of Pixabay
- Source2 - Photo by Dan Meyers of Unsplash
- Source3 - Poem by Robert Frost. "The Road Not Taken" from Poetry Foundation
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I think when we become parents, we forget that as individuals, we knew we had to learn things for ourselves, but we forget about that and feel a need to protect our kids, so we try to keep them from being exposed to all of the "bad" things.
It seems to be a never-ending cycle.
Hi @free-reign. You are correct. We try to do our best to teach and guide and protect them from the evil in the world. But sometimes life has to teach them as well. We have a saying in our family that if someone doesn't want to take advice or hear you out that they'll learn from the "University of Hard Knocks."
Indeed! :)
Yeeeeah that was not the case with me LOL! I always had to hit my own head against the wall (sometimes more than once) in order to learn anything haha!
Great freewrite sweetie!
@jaynie. Me too. I was always bucking my parents. They cringed when they saw me coming with brows together getting ready to ask questions they couldn't answer. They used to say, here comes Why :)
Appreciate your comments. Take care.
lol at "with brows together" hehehehe!!!
My pleasure sweets!
This really tore at my heartstrings. Congratulations on not being that parent that said: "I told you so."
It is so hard to let them do their own thing when you know they aren't doing it the way you would have. Do we ever do it the way we were herded towards? To watch your kids struggle in ways that you know weren't needed hurts, but, I can say that if they are happy, does it really matter?
I am sad for your loss, but, happy that he felt he was in the right place in life. I cannot say enough for self-satisfaction in life.
Brilliant write with a powerful ending.
Congrats!
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Thanks @dswigle. You captured exactly my feelings during that time. But then I realized that what we thought was not enough, he thought was perfect. You can't measure your ideas against someone else's hopes and desires. Everyone runs at their own pace.
Thanks so much for stopping by and viewing my post. I really appreciate your kind words.
Have a great day, and take care.
Lovely remembrances, though they are bittersweet.
Hi @jayna. Yes, they are. But you have to take the good with the bad. He and younger daughter were a blast and a terror when they were young. They used to keep us ROFL with their antics. She misses him the most.
What a beautiful story @justclickindiva, I am sorry you lost him, but also happy that he got to live his life the way that he wanted it, it's awesome.
This post is AWESOME!
It has therefore got a manual 100% upvote from @thisisawesome, for the Awesome Daily Upvotes in category Freewrite, I give out 1 such vote in that category per day, plus 3 more in other categories, and your post will also be featured in todays Awesome Daily report for more visibility.
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Hi @thisisawesome. Thanks so much for stopping in and viewing my post. So glad you thought it worthy to be spotlighted in your Awesome Daily category. I appreciate it very much.
Have a great day.
Thanks @justclickindiva, you are creating really great work, keep it up.
So thoughtful @justclickindiva :) Beautiful write!
Thanks so much @birdsinparadise. I appreciate your kind words. It's always good to connect with other steemians who take the time to visit your posts. Take care, and happy holidays.
Oh no, that's so sad to hear, but you were wonderful parents to refrain from saying that horrid phrase I told you so.
Good on you!
My heart goes out to you though @justclickindiva!
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Hi @lizelle. Thank you so much for your condolences. It was a few years ago, but it never goes away. Children shouldn't go before their parents. But we don't know what the inner workings of our higher power has in store. Just trying to be the best we can be and learn from situations is all we can do.