My Cake Walk

My childhood was what many would describe as a cake walk. All fun and games and with easy, lighthearted expectations. I really was spoiled rotten and received everything I ever needed and most of the things I ever wanted. Money was never a problem and my parents always had the luxury of spending. Growing up, despite my life as a spoiled child, my parents knew it was incredibly important to instill the value of hard work in my brother and me.

My parents intentions were in the right place, but hard work to them meant doing chores and some yard work. Cake walk, right? My parents’ life was similar to mine, though my dad had a more difficult upbringing, so they didn’t know the feeling of lack either. As parents I imagine it’s hard to hide abundance from curious children. I’ve never known differently and as easy as it is to love it, it’s blindsided me from reality for so many people. I will never grow seeing my parents struggle to provide or to make ends meet. I am grateful for the fortune I’ve been given, but I am knowingly foolish. In addition to the quality of life, I was blessed with two loving parents and an awesome brother. My family was, for the most part, functional and consistently happy.

In fifth grade, I met my best friend. She was like me in many ways, but she had this subtle timidness about her personality. This is something I never was and genuinely wasn’t accustomed to; my family is borderline obnoxious. We spent a great deal of time together and I learned more and more about her. This included her family of divorced parents, difficult step brothers, and month-to-month living. I was young, but I knew this was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Her mom and step dad were welcoming, but the tension of their stressful lives was still apparent. Although I was too young at the time to fully understand much of what occurred for my best friend, I’ve realized so many things about it now. The instability of her home life was creating a lack of confidence she should’ve had as such an intelligent and funny young girl. She was fun around me, but when we were together with her parents she wasn’t her same outgoing self.

Before I met my elementary school best friend, I was completely oblivious to how others lived. I had no way of knowing that other people didn’t live so lavish and how that ultimately affected their confidence. She does well now and lived under better circumstances, but her timid nature still prevails. Comparing my life to hers previously and reminding myself of it now reminds me how grateful I need to remain for my life. I truly live life like I’m walking a Cake Walk.