Hi, everyone! I would like to share something with you that happened to me a couple of days ago. I am sure that some of you can relate.
I will start off with saying that I am quite an introverted person. I like to spend most of my time indoors by myself, writing and reading. I have very few friends, who accept me the way I am.
However, there are people in my life that don’t find my secluded lifestyle acceptable. I am talking about my parents. They are very old-fashioned and think that life should be out there doing something physical and integrating actively into the community. They believe that you always have to do something and are strongly opposed to my schedule as it mainly involves sitting in front of the screen.
This was nothing new. However the tension in the house has been increasing lately, building up to my stress. Even though it appeared to be against my will, I started to think of ideas to please my parents. Though, to no avail.
And so a couple of days ago, I burst. I let out all of the build-up frustration on my father. Not the best idea, but I was too far gone.
“Dad, what do I have to do to stop hearing you complaining about my lifestyle? How can I please you?” I asked.
My dad looked at me with wide eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
“There has never been any mentioning of pleasing. All I ever disagreed about was your lack of life outside your computer, phone, etc.” He said.
“But I can’t do anything outside at the moment!” I argued. Due to personal circumstances I can’t work and all my friends are spread across the country with lives of their own.
“Well then just do what you want to do. You have to understand that you and I live in different worlds, where the way we see it differs greatly. You just have to stay true to yours, no matter what everybody around you thinks or says.” My dad said.
That is when the realisation finally hit me. Of course, I was aware that people are entitled to their own views and opinions, but the difference never really sank into me before until my father, a person who I am very close to, told me to live my life the way I want it, without trying to please him or anyone else for that matter.
What about you? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to please a person who was important to you to become better in their eyes?
Let me know through the comments.
JN
Jeanne Nest 