Sandi's Blog

That Wasn’t Easy

 
I am awake, I am alive, and this morning I am sitting here thinking,

“That wasn’t easy!
Thanks for not lying about that Mom and Dad.”

Because you see, Dad would tell me over and over and over again that I could be anything I wanted to be IF and ONLY IF I was willing to work hard enough to get it. He promised me it wouldn’t be easy, that others would try to stand in my way, that they would try to tell me that I would never succeed.

And then he would grin and say, “And that is when you have to work harder”. And Mom would tell me that life is hard, that raising kids is hard, that relationships are hard, that building a career is hard, that being a good person is hard, that making good decisions is hard … but then she would smile and tell me that I was strong enough to do it and that, in fact, she expected me to.

And then, whichever loving parent I was in the company of at the moment, would show me how. They would make me clean up my room by starting me off – “First pick up your clothes and get them into the laundry room. Then put your books away. What you do next is up to you, but you succeed by starting and doing one thing at a time.”

Mom showed me how even the largest of debts could be paid off one payment at a time … by doing it.

Dad showed me how beds and dressers and new cupboards were built, one board at a time … by doing it.

And that is what I taught my kids and what I teach every participant as I plot and plan and work and succeed. After all, I truly believe it is what our kids need to learn. But first, the parents need to learn.

Because you see, in my humble opinion, we have to stop demanding healthy communities from people who are not yet healthy. We have to stop expecting healthy decisions, healthy relationships, and healthy actions from people who have never seen anything even close to that, people who have never been taught how.

Skills first, then action.
Skills first, then results.
 

I love you!
HUGSSSSSSSS

Sandi
 

***This is an excerpt from Sandi’s most recent book, “I am Awake …”. available for purchase on her website or on Amazon.ca.***