G'day Friends,
Today was my 37th birthday, and that has paled in comparison to the lesson that I've learned today, and will hopefully be able to keep in the front of my mind.
Today, after my mother went to the supermarket to buy a few things for my birthday picnic, and struggled most of the way home before I finally made it out to help her carry the groceries home (she'd called me from 4 blocks away), she had bought vastly more than I'd imagined that she would, including a cake in the shape of a puppy dog for my birthday, party hats and balloons.
Not even realising how selfish I was being I decided that we weren't taking the cake to the picnic because it would be too much drama to carry down. I was feeling a little bit annoyed that she'd attempted to hijack my simple picnic with a cake and such, making it far more formal than I had planned, and making me feel a little bit awkward.
Then, while we were there, she wanted us to have balloons and party hats, and I was completely set against it, refusing to blow up balloons or wear the hats, thinking that this was a silly thing to do.
Then after we came home to my apartment, we had a bit of a chat, and after a mild disagreement Mum melted some chocolate that was in the fridge and dipped some strawberries in it for me. The chocolate didn't work very well having been melted in the microwave, so I refused any more than one, also being a little bit cranky still.
A little while afterward, Mum was really upset and said, "nothing I do is right is it?". She wasn't trying to martyr herself, she actually felt that she couldn't do anything right for me, when in fact I am the one doing the wrong thing in not appreciating what she does do for me!
I can't believe what a complete arse I've made of myself! Here she went out of her way, spending money on her credit card to buy me extra food for my birthday picnic, and a birthday cake, and I couldn't even see my way to find the gratitude to take the cake to my picnic. Then she tries to make my birthday a little bit of fun, and I crush her spirit with an "I'm too mature for this stuff" attitude, and finally, she tries to do something simple and nice with the strawberries, and instead of enjoying the generosity of the act, I complain about the quality of the chocolate! What a douche-bag. How could I not see each of this things for the generous action that it was, and instead find the inconvenience in it!
But, something good comes from every situation, and on this occasion I have been shown exactly how callous I've become towards one of the people that I love the most, and how ungrateful I have become to all of the little things that my friends and family do for me. At least now that I'm aware of it, I can try to focus on the little things that people do for me, and appreciate them, rather than taking all the love that is handed to me for granted and treating those people with the contempt that I feel I have been.
I hope that 2012 can be a year in which I transform myself into a much better person, and one that makes the people around me feel appreciated and loved.
Well, that's about all I have to say for today, everything else is a little unimportant compared to this personal realisation, so I'll sign off for now and I hope that you are all enjoying your new year, and that you can take from this at least a little more appreciation for the people in your own lives to whom you might not show the appreciation that they deserve.
Cheers,
Howie..
Today was my 37th birthday, and that has paled in comparison to the lesson that I've learned today, and will hopefully be able to keep in the front of my mind.
Today, after my mother went to the supermarket to buy a few things for my birthday picnic, and struggled most of the way home before I finally made it out to help her carry the groceries home (she'd called me from 4 blocks away), she had bought vastly more than I'd imagined that she would, including a cake in the shape of a puppy dog for my birthday, party hats and balloons.
Not even realising how selfish I was being I decided that we weren't taking the cake to the picnic because it would be too much drama to carry down. I was feeling a little bit annoyed that she'd attempted to hijack my simple picnic with a cake and such, making it far more formal than I had planned, and making me feel a little bit awkward.
Then, while we were there, she wanted us to have balloons and party hats, and I was completely set against it, refusing to blow up balloons or wear the hats, thinking that this was a silly thing to do.
Then after we came home to my apartment, we had a bit of a chat, and after a mild disagreement Mum melted some chocolate that was in the fridge and dipped some strawberries in it for me. The chocolate didn't work very well having been melted in the microwave, so I refused any more than one, also being a little bit cranky still.
A little while afterward, Mum was really upset and said, "nothing I do is right is it?". She wasn't trying to martyr herself, she actually felt that she couldn't do anything right for me, when in fact I am the one doing the wrong thing in not appreciating what she does do for me!
I can't believe what a complete arse I've made of myself! Here she went out of her way, spending money on her credit card to buy me extra food for my birthday picnic, and a birthday cake, and I couldn't even see my way to find the gratitude to take the cake to my picnic. Then she tries to make my birthday a little bit of fun, and I crush her spirit with an "I'm too mature for this stuff" attitude, and finally, she tries to do something simple and nice with the strawberries, and instead of enjoying the generosity of the act, I complain about the quality of the chocolate! What a douche-bag. How could I not see each of this things for the generous action that it was, and instead find the inconvenience in it!
But, something good comes from every situation, and on this occasion I have been shown exactly how callous I've become towards one of the people that I love the most, and how ungrateful I have become to all of the little things that my friends and family do for me. At least now that I'm aware of it, I can try to focus on the little things that people do for me, and appreciate them, rather than taking all the love that is handed to me for granted and treating those people with the contempt that I feel I have been.
I hope that 2012 can be a year in which I transform myself into a much better person, and one that makes the people around me feel appreciated and loved.
Well, that's about all I have to say for today, everything else is a little unimportant compared to this personal realisation, so I'll sign off for now and I hope that you are all enjoying your new year, and that you can take from this at least a little more appreciation for the people in your own lives to whom you might not show the appreciation that they deserve.
Cheers,
Howie..
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