Before my parents got a divorce, I was the epitome of a spoiled child. I felt entitled to get whatever my heart desired because in my mind that was the sole purpose of my family. My biggest worries in this period of my life often involved things like my parents spending $500 on my brother for Christmas and only $450 on me. However, this attitude came crashing down in 2005 when my parents decided to get a divorce. It didn’t matter how much I complained that it wasn’t fair and how it didn’t work out for me, ultimately I would have to change my ways.
Immediately after my parents’ divorce, I was in a state of emotional shock and had no idea how something like this could happen to someone like me. However, the world was not going to stop just because I was having difficulties so it was up to me to make adjustments in how I lived. No matter how many fights I listened to or how many emotions I felt, I worked through my problems with perseverance that I had never had before. After several months, I was amazed at how much self-determination I had gained by working to overcome the obstacles in my life.
As time went on, my life was challenged by yet another obstacle: monetary problems. Because my mom would have sacrificed anything to give me what I wanted, I could have had my every whim fulfilled at her expense. However, I arrived at the realization that it simply was not worth it to have extras for myself while my mom often went without basic need. I forced myself to evolve into a more selfless person and because of this I have a true appreciation for everything I get now. It was hard to adjust to learning to live without, but to me it was much more painful to witness my mom go to extremes such as pawning her wedding ring just to buy the trivial material possessions that I wanted. After dealing with times when I considered myself lucky to have a roof over my head, I can now see even the most hideous sweatshirt given to me by my 70 year old aunt as something to be grateful for. Learning that the world did not indeed revolve around me was something that I had to teach myself, and I owe the opportunity to do so to what should have been one of the worst events in my life.
If I had been asked to describe a significant experience in my life four years ago, I probably would have talked about how I had once asked for three video games and I had only gotten one. However, since then I have evolved to take on a deeper understanding of the things that are truly meaningful in life. Although I have had to deal with trials that I had never dreamed I would have to face, my life is truly better for all of the struggles I have faced and the lessons I have learned. Sometimes I still wish that I didn’t have to deal with some of these challenges, but then I remember how much my attitude and outlook on life have changed for the better because of them. When all is said and done, all I can say is “Thank God for irreconcilable differences.”
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