My
intelligent, strong-willed, old-fashioned parents restricted my
creativity. I wasn’t allowed to do
anything extra-curricular. If it meant
they had to go out of their way to take or leave me some place other than what
the school bus provided, it was out of the question.
School
was a priority in our household; straight A’s a must, so I was shocked to learn
that any college money saved was intended for my older brother. There would be
none for me. I got my parents to agree that
if I could get financial aid, I could go to college. They were more than surprised when the offers
started coming in during my second semester as a senior.
I
was allowed to accept the one offer that kept me in town. At first, they were their usual negative selves,
putting up barricades at every turn. They complained I was costing them money, and
I was wasting my time and theirs. Secretarial school would be easier and faster
than pursuing a four-year, teaching degree.
What changed
their mind about me was that my older brother flunked out of his first year of
college. He got drafted and went off to
Viet Nam, while I was speeding through university, making good grades. They were suddenly proud of me. When family asked
about my progress, my parents took full credit.
I never contradicted them in public, but privately I reminded them that
they blocked me at every turn.
Burned by
that experience, I made my first husband promise he would never hold me down in
my pursuits. He kept his word but his
own endeavors took precedence over mine or of the needs of the three children
we raised. I was done with barricades in
my life. I was done with negativism. Life is too short to let others stand in the
way of accomplishing one’s dreams.
The only
angst that holds me back now is my aging body.
The aches, the pains, the bad bladder.
I am free to do whatever I please as long as I know where the nearest
bathroom is located. As for Keanu
Reeves, nothing negative there. I would
love to meet him one day, but it better be soon. Shout out to Keanu. Hey, babe.
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