Anyways, her response made me think about a few things...
1. I was so fortunate in college to have parents who were able to provide for me. While they did not provide me with a lot of extra spending money, they were able to provide me with money to attend school, pay rent and utilities, and to eat. They also paid for my car payments, insurance, and cell phone bill - but only while I was enrolled in classes. If I wanted money to spend on my sorority, vacations, going out, drinking, etc., then I was expected to earn that money with a part time job. The only time I did not have a job in college was during my freshman year (I had to get acclimated, you know). But I will say that prior to that year in college, I held 3 jobs, attended high school honors/AP classes, and played volleyball and basketball year round. I also went home often during my freshman year and worked almost every waking hour at the vet's office that I so loved. (My younger brother, on the other hand, is a completely different story. To this day, the kid has only worked maybe 20 days in his entire life. Although he was required to cut the grass weekly once he was "of age.")
2. I am still so fortunate now to not only have a job, but have a job with a reputable company that I so adore. I've been very blessed in the job arena since graduating from college. I have always had a prospect or job waiting for me, no matter which city I chose to live in. When I made my final move from D.C. back to Wilmington, my old boss always said that I'd have a job in D.C. no matter when I chose to come back (if at all, which I won't, but it's a nice gesture). People like that make me believe them when they say that I'm a dedicated and passionate worker. I don't see it some days; I just think of it as getting the job done. I like to think that I have a good work ethic, but I don't really see it until someone else points it out to me.
3. With all that being said, I think credit is due to my parents. Mainly my mom for keeping us all so grounded. Since my parents divorced when I was so young, and since I spent most of my free time with my mom, one would think that I'd grow up to be damaged and somehow dysfunctional. But I'm not. My mom provided me with a completely normal and loving environment growing up, and my dad was still 100% involved in my life. My grandparents were also a heavy influence, as I spent almost every weekend and summer at their house. This is how I acquired my work ethic and love of reading, nature, and science. Suffice it to say, my grandparents are just as important to me as my parents.
You're probably wondering how I could get to thinking about all that from the mention of Corona, and I'll attempt to explain it as best as I can...
First I got to thinking about the beer I drink now and then I pressed the rewind button in an attempt to remember what I drank in college. That then got me to thinking about how my experiences in college were probably so different from kids' experiences now, and how those experiences probably stemmed from the way I was raised. (Aside: I feel that kids these days have absolutely no discipline or self worth, and that's due to the lack of parenting. I honestly feel that my generation was the last to truly be raised correctly, and even a few of those slipped through the cracks. Whatever we're doing now to raise kids just isn't working.) This then transgressed to thinking about my family, our ethics and morals, and expectations out of life.
And then came this blog post.
P.S. - I just realized a funny fact! And yes, I literally laughed out loud... my microeconomics professor asked about beer. His last name is Beer. HAHA!
