Relief from the temporary would be nice...
Forever, my parents mantra to me has been, "Don't worry Cate, it's only temporary." In high school I would come home complaining about the banality of it all and how my Geometry grade was not an indicator of my overall value to this world. My Dad (who was always an excellent Math student) would pat me on the back and say, "Don't worry Cate, it's only temporary."
When I moved out on my own for the first time I would call home and complain about how loud my neighbors were and how I wished I could afford a better place in a better part of town. My mom (nervously and with wanted conviction) would say, "Don't worry Cate, it's only temporary."
Returning to school to finish a degree has been an emotional and financial burden for Robbie and I. My parents, forever proud of my decision, have, predictably and consistently, in the last four years reminded us that once again, this current challenging time in our lives is only temporary.
It's back to school time and I am not feeling much like a student or a teacher. In fact, I am feeling more like a failure at both. I nearly had a panic attack last week thinking about the possibility of Robbie's back injury forever being that, an injury....something he would not heal from and something that would constantly cause him pain. I've also been reconsidering the value of becoming an art teacher and the decision to suppress our desire to start our family because of wanting to finish school.
I know what my parents are saying when they say "it's only temporary." They want to remind me that my current circumstances may stink presently, but eventually they will wash themselves up and smell a bit better. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or hey, it might even be a few years down the road....but eventually, this will come to an end. It will pass.
I started to notice the pattern of the temporary talk pretty early. "That's what you always say!" I would yell, wishing they could just magically make my difficult situation go away. As I got older I tolerated the so-called advice a bit better often joking (threatening) my father that I would most certainly have
engraved on his headstone. I know now that in many ways it must take a certain amount of restraint to not want to rush in and make everything better. Not that they could, but I am certain they wish they had that power. This advice was the best my parents could muster and after all, it's what they found to be true about life.
No matter what, no matter when, or how, things change. Maybe they don't necessarily change for the better or for that matter, the worse, but inevitably they will change, transform, maybe even evolve. I suppose in the midst of it all your hope isn't necessarily for change, but that you will somehow experience growth and transformation while you're waiting for the temporary to end.
When I moved out on my own for the first time I would call home and complain about how loud my neighbors were and how I wished I could afford a better place in a better part of town. My mom (nervously and with wanted conviction) would say, "Don't worry Cate, it's only temporary."
Returning to school to finish a degree has been an emotional and financial burden for Robbie and I. My parents, forever proud of my decision, have, predictably and consistently, in the last four years reminded us that once again, this current challenging time in our lives is only temporary.
It's back to school time and I am not feeling much like a student or a teacher. In fact, I am feeling more like a failure at both. I nearly had a panic attack last week thinking about the possibility of Robbie's back injury forever being that, an injury....something he would not heal from and something that would constantly cause him pain. I've also been reconsidering the value of becoming an art teacher and the decision to suppress our desire to start our family because of wanting to finish school.
I know what my parents are saying when they say "it's only temporary." They want to remind me that my current circumstances may stink presently, but eventually they will wash themselves up and smell a bit better. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or hey, it might even be a few years down the road....but eventually, this will come to an end. It will pass.
I started to notice the pattern of the temporary talk pretty early. "That's what you always say!" I would yell, wishing they could just magically make my difficult situation go away. As I got older I tolerated the so-called advice a bit better often joking (threatening) my father that I would most certainly have
Don't worry, Dad, it's only temporary
engraved on his headstone. I know now that in many ways it must take a certain amount of restraint to not want to rush in and make everything better. Not that they could, but I am certain they wish they had that power. This advice was the best my parents could muster and after all, it's what they found to be true about life.
No matter what, no matter when, or how, things change. Maybe they don't necessarily change for the better or for that matter, the worse, but inevitably they will change, transform, maybe even evolve. I suppose in the midst of it all your hope isn't necessarily for change, but that you will somehow experience growth and transformation while you're waiting for the temporary to end.
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