I do this a lot it seems. Ranting I mean.
And I'm pretty sure that I generally apologize before I begin. So, here's my apology: I'm sorry in advance if anything in my rant offends you.
I hope that that is okay.
So my younger sister and I were talking today about her class in school. And I don't mean high school kind of school. I mean college kind of school. The kind of school where people are generally regarded as adults. And I'm saying 'regarded' because age doesn't really make you an adult. Despite what you might believe.
Anyway, my sister was telling me about her class. First off, she had a couple classmates steal a vital part of her presentation and use it for their own, though the item was clearly labeled with her and her team's names on it. Not cool. Second, she told me all about how she somehow wound up washing everyone's dishes. When some of them fell on the floor only one person moved to help her. Again, not cool.
Having been woken up at 5 am by the fire alarm in our building, we were both tired. And so, with that excitement and lack of sleep my sister was not too cheerful. Which of course makes everything a little bit worse. Sure, you may not think it's an excuse, but wait, there's more. (Here's where my rant comes in.)
The only people that willingly helped my sister today with the dishes were the foreign students. The ones who have to pay 3x the tuition of Canadian residents. Yeah, the kids that left their families thousands of miles away so that they could get a fair education. My sister told me of one young man who left his parents and came here to Canada to study culinary arts, has no family here, has no work visa and has no choice but to let his parents pay for everything. That young man is determined to repay them for everything they've done to help him.
Have you ever noticed that we Canadians aren't like that at all? And I do mean, at all. We're lazy, selfish, greedy and entitled. No, I'm not really referring to the older generations. Sadly, I'm referring to my own generation. Those kids that are in their teens to their mid-twenties that believe their mom and dad have a money tree in the backyard and still live at home. Yeah, I'm talking to you.
I cannot believe how many people my age are still living at home, are unemployed and carry Daddy's credit card in their wallet. And those of you that do have jobs but don't appreciate them? You're just about as bad. Do you have any idea how many people would give anything to have a job?
I am seriously sickened (and saddened) by the lack of responsibility of my generation. I've met women my age that wear the latest fashions and have the gorgeous hair and the beautiful makeup, but what I can't figure out is how they justify spending their money (or their parent's) on all these materialistic things.
My parents taught me from the time I was a little kid that if I wanted something badly enough that I would have to earn it. A fantastic lesson it was too. One I have every intention of passing on to my own kids someday.
When I wanted a vehicle I worked my butt off to pay for it. I managed to pay that first truck off within months because I was so determined. And I did it when I was still in high school.
I just can't figure out why so many parents are so incredibly willing to mortgage their houses to pay for things their kids can earn on their own. Instead of handing over the credit card, why not suggest they hand out a few resumes? Teach them the value of a dollar. Don't buy that car they want. Don't pay for the gas or the insurance. Let them struggle and figure it out on their own. If you never ever let them they'll never ever learn. And I know that it sounds awful from a parent's point of view. No parent wants to see their child fail, but if you don't step back and let them fail then they have no chance to succeed. You don't have to pave the way for them, you just have to be the helping hand that picks them up, brushes them off and sends them out again. And again. And again. And again.
And if your kid is as smart as you believe they are, then they will be just fine. Plus, they'll know (maybe later on) that you were right for giving them a push. And they'll love you more for it.
Think about it. My generation is supposed to take over when the older generations are ready to step aside. I don't know about any of you, but it terrifies me. How many people in my generation are ready for that? Not a whole heck of a lot I'm betting.
And so that ends my rant. For now. I think.
On to some other stuff.
The last little while I've been stressed, anxious, worried, tense and exhausted.
Let me explain.
Just last month I had to take my car in for repairs. Said repairs cost me nearly 500 dollars. Not something I can easily afford. Since then I've had the worst time catching up to all my other bills. You know what I'm talking about. You got your loan payment, your phone bill, your car insurance, groceries, gas. That sort of thing. And so of course I'm getting notices left right and center. Talk about frustrating. They send you these notices and then tell you that you have until such and such a date to pay the amount owed. However, the date that the notice was written isn't always the date that the notice was sent. And of course because it's via mail you don't always get it very far in advance. So usually the day you get the notice is either a couple days before or the day the payment is due.
I hate when that happens. I really do. Because then I get stressed, anxious, worried and tense. I don't like being stressed, anxious, worried or tense.
And because of all these bills I've been doing my best to ensure that I get no less than 9 hours a day at work. My job doesn't involve sitting at a desk in some kind of office or anything. No, I do construction. So I'm doing physical labor, outside, for 9 hours, 5 days a week. And that's where the exhausted part comes in.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job (despite the masonry work we're doing right now), but sometimes I wish I had a couple million dollars so that I could take a day off every now and then. In the middle of the week.
It's amazing how one bill can set you back so far. And it's amazing how long it takes to get back to square one. Guess there's nothing to do but persevere.
I love my mum. I called her after I got the latest bunch of notices. When I'm feeling like I'm in over my head I'm so incredibly thankful that I can call up my mum and tell her what's going on. She always seems so calm when I talk to her. I think that's the best part of calling her up when I'm freaking out. That calm tone totally relaxes me. I feel less like I'm going to burst into tears or fall apart.
I sincerely hope that you appreciate your parents and everything they've ever done for you. I know that I will never be able to say thank you enough to mine. I can try, but like I said, it will never be enough.
And now I think it's time for this exhausted individual to head to bed. Gotta be up bright and early.
'Night all!
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