Appreciate what you have
Campus Times
December 12, 1997
For once in my life, being away from home has made me recognize the
importance of my primary roots, my family. Until this point, it was difficult
to understand why my younger brother and sister worried so much about me.
"Cheli (that is my nickname), this is your sister, Alicia."
one of my voicemail messages said the other day. As my younger sister proceeded
with her message, she would say, "I just wanted to know when you're
coming home. Please call home as soon as possible. But don't forget to call.
Oh, if you forgot the number, it's...." And she hung up.
Unfortunately, I did not call back right away, only because, by the
time I got back to my room, she was already asleep.
"Bye, Cheli. See you later. Are you going to be back on Friday
night?" my younger brother asks every Sunday, as I exit the front door.
Frustrated by too many other concerns, I responded, "I'm coming
back Friday, but I don't know what time. Bye." And I rushed down the
street in my trusty '77 Chevy Nova. I had completely ignored the fact that
they actually cared to know what I was doing.
Now, as I look back on those times, I realize how selfish and inconsiderate
I have been. Believe me, writing this down is even more heartbreaking. I
know it is easy for me to get too involved in school and other activities
to really take the time to appreciate who I love and miss the most -- family,
friends.
College was an opportunity to get a taste of the "big" world
-- a world I feared when signing high school yearbooks as a senior. I thought
that living on-campus and away from home would be my opportunity to learn
about life on my own, to make personal decisions, to stay up late and to
have more freedom than ever before. And so the changes within my life progressively,
yet painfully, began to take their toll.
Aside from wanting to be on my own, I found myself going home every
weekend to spend time with family and friends. Last year, it was routine
to spend time at home for the weekend, but this year, my time has been become
much more limited.
Those who know me are aware that I am a person who strives from volunteer
work, lives off the definition of stress, worries about time limitations,
yet squeezes the most minute things into my schedule, and enjoys college
as a whole.
Though I practically live for a busy lifestyle, my life has also been
affected by such involvement. I still go home every weekend, but I am committed
to a second job in my hometown, and actually being at home with family has
become a privilege.
So now, I apologize for being ignorant to the fact that my family truly
inspires and motivates me, not grades. I guess it is easy for me to forget
the priceless things when I stress too much about the future.
From this experience, my primary message to you is not complex. I just
wanted to share a part of my life in order that you, too, may recognize
and appreciate the priceless aspects within your own.
As the holiday season rapidly ends, I feel it important to express some
of the greatest concerns and declarations I have experienced within the
last four months.
Families are the reason we exist, whether we choose to accept it or
not. For those who dread being home after you are "kicked out"
of the dorms for the vacation, please consider this story.
Perhaps now it seems that parents and family are too much to handle,
but we usually realize how much we also care when we need them most-I know
I have.
Araceli Esparza, a sophomore journalism major, is editorial assistant
of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at esparzaa@ulv.edu.
