Reminiscing

Reminiscing today and decided to share a few of what I considered bad experiences, that looking back now actually were good ones.

The Best Parents

I didn’t have the luxury of being fed with a silver spoon as they say. Believe it or not I’ve always had to work for what I want, something I’ll always be grateful my parents taught me at an early age.  Yea it would have been nice to have allowances for chores, money for good grades, all the latest clothes, endless amounts of shoes, all the latest electronics, etc. but I actually learned more by not having all that.  Neither of my parents graduated from high school, they started working at an early age and always managed to provide for my brother and I with the necessities.  Luckily my dad is very smart financially, early on he didn't make a lot of money and he’d always save as much as possible because he always had his eye on a better future for his family, not on competing with others to see who has the better car or better wardrobe, etc.  My dad was lucky enough to have a strong support system from my mom who together are undeniably a power couple in my eyes.  You would never know without looking at their salaries who made more because they both provided equally to the best of their ability.  We grew up most of our young childhood life in an apartment, then when we first moved to NC we lived in a trailer for some years, and eventually moved into our first home.  My parents have been a huge factor in molding me into the responsible and independent woman I am today!  Had we not gone through what we did top get to where we are I may not be as humble as I am.  I'm able to value a family sticking together, hard work, and determination with a different mindset and what that will for sure get me far in life.  Having the finer things in life won't always get you far. 

The Worst School Years

I think I’ve always been more mature for my age than others.  6^th and 7^th grade taught me a lot about myself & they were also my least favorite years! There was so much teasing for so many reasons: bad acne, being Hispanic, not having an extensive wardrobe, living in a trailer and many hurtful rumors spread just because a lot of the guys liked me.  I was still a shy and generally quiet girl who just kept to myself (most people were mean to me) and so I gravitated more to male friends because they weren’t so drama filled like the girls. Plus I’ve always had a little tom boy in me so I liked playing outdoors and in the gym but the other girls would all just sit and gossip about everyone….that was never really my scene so I’d kinda became an outcast with girls. The girls would make up horrible & the craziest rumors about me.  I’d always be asked “what are you” and when I’d reply “Hispanic” they’d just call me Mexican and start all the Mexican jokes/stereotype...ignorance at its best.  I had real bad acne in 7^th grade, I blame puberty lol.   People would call me “trailer park trash” just because I lived in a trailer…but that’s what my parents could afford at the time.  I also remember some of my so called friends coming up with a song about me to the tune of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” called “Evy Likes Her Skin Tight Pants”.  So I use to have a pair of real comfy black pants that I wore often….what they didn’t realize was that everyone is not blessed with extensive wardrobes.  I didn’t own many pieces of clothing and shoes back then and I never cared until everyone started making a big deal about it but I realized I had what my parents could afford at the time.  I never tried to be the “popular” girl because if people were going to genuinely like me for who I am they would spend the time getting to know me themselves.  But I never let it phase me because I knew my story behind why things were the way they were. Sometimes we need to realize there’s no need for explanations because people still won’t care when they want to be malicious.  But eventually they stopped teasing me and realized their antics & words never fazed me one bit, I guess they realized they couldn't break me and I wouldn’t give in, they didn't matter in my life.  And who would’ve thought the same girl who used to get hammered for wearing the same stuff would get “Best Dressed” the very next year lol.  

That same girl is always being complimented left and right these days!! She has become more confident in herself and never lets others break her.  The same parents that couldn’t afford to get her the materialistic items that she thought she was missing out on as a kid paid her entire college tuition in cash and even bought her a car in cash before going to college.  I called it being blessed with great parents who had their eye on my future, I never have school or car loans and could focus on getting my future together. But others who don’t know my past call it “spoiled”. Honestly, I think they just don’t know the real definition of “spoil":

-        - to damage severely or harm, esp. with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness

-        - to diminish or impair the quality of; affect detrimentally

-        - to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.

My parents never harmed my excellence or value, what they did do was help  They enhanced my quality and my character by spoiling me with LOVE and not the materialistic things!

make me more valuable by the lessons they taught me early on.

People tend to judge me by their perception or should I say misconception about me, it happens to all of us.  Just remember nobody knows what you’ve really been through to get where you are today if they don't know you and it’s sad that people still continue to misjudge others for no real reason other than having an immature mindset.  I’ve come a long way, I’m proud of who I am today, where I’m at, and where I’m headed.  I hope this helps other young ladies to realize you don’t need anyone’s approval about yourself or your decisions, do what you know is best for you.  Embrace any struggles you went through or will go through, whether you think they’re big or small struggles you will always learn something valuable from them. Your past does not define your future!

~StateOfBeauty
~Learn to see the beauty in imperfection~