Life is Contradictory
Saturday, May 6th, 2006 | Literature
Tags: ego, prose
When I first came to United States, I met with my cousin who is two years older than me. I was fascinated by her lifestyle. She lived with her boyfriend, she drove her own car and she paid her own bills. In short, she was independent and because her independency she enjoyed a great amount of freedom. At the time, I was very attracted by her way of living, and I wanted to be like her, to be independent, to be grown up. I remember having disputes with my parents about this. I was frustrated and I was angry, because I was a dependent teenager living in a family that was trying very hard to adapt the life in a strange country. I longed to grow up.
Now, after many years, I have become the independent person that I wanted. I have a job, I have bills to pay and I have numerous responsibilities to fulfill. However, once in a while, maybe in the silent night, maybe in the morning before heading to work, the thought of going back to be the worry-free child flashed in my mind. I reminisce the childhood I once had. Even though as a child I was dependent on my parents, but I was free of worries, of social responsibilities, and countless confinements that society has given me along the journey of growing up. Every time thoughts like these come to my mind, I find comedy in the irony and contradiction of human life.
May 06, 2006
10:16 pm on Saturday
Congrats on your road to independance. I’ve been on my own since I was 18. It feels good to be able to do things your way!
May 08, 2006
9:33 pm on Monday
This is why I find it tragic that we push for our children to start school even earlier, at the age of three and such. You only get to be a child once, and if that means the peak of your learning for the day was to make a mud pie, then so be it. Adulthood, the politics of learning, all comes quickly enough.
May 08, 2006
9:52 pm on Monday
Indeed…..
I’m on my road to independence. I’ll proabbaly be 100% independent in a few more years. I want it to be asap but maybe one day I’ll look back on all this and miss the old days. Still, this is part of growing up. One cannot depend on parents forever.
May 08, 2006
11:14 pm on Monday
@aline: My intent in this post is to point out one of the many contradictions that exist in our life, and another message is to remind people to appreciate their days when they are not fully independent, cherish your childhood and adolescence.
@Lelia: Thanks for the comment and welcome to Wooden Fish! You got a lovely blog!