Life

I never eat fast food, especially McDonalds. However, for some reason today I was jonesing for their fish sandwich and fries, so off to Mickey D's I went. I sat alone in their newly-decorated feng shui room, thinking about my life and the people I know.

A wise and insightful friend once said, "In order to prosper, always surround yourself with people who are equal to or better than you." I took this advice to heart and, as a result, I discovered that it's a difficult thing to accomplish.

I'm not trying to imply that I'm better than most people. It's just that it's hard to come across distinguished down-to-earth people who can carry an intelligent conversation, let alone be on the same wavelength as I am.

I don't know if that makes me a snob, but it does suck to not be able to connect with most people my age. I feel that I'm beyond my years, as I've been entirely on my own since I was 18. A lot of people my age don't know what it is like to have to pay their own bills, rent, and tuition, and as a result they're still living behind rose-colored glasses (expensive ones their parents paid for). They don't understand why I worry so much about being able to pay off my tuition in time in order to go back to school the following semester. They don't understand that I don't wear expensive designer clothes so I could have enough money for next month's rent. They don't understand why I choose to spend my Friday nights working instead of getting drunk on my daddy's dime. Unlike most people my age, I don't rely on my parents to fix my problems for me. Instead, I roll up my sleeves and face them myself. And I'm damn proud of it.

While my parents do help me out whenever I need help, they still raised me to be an independent and self-sufficient person. I'm glad they did that, even if it makes me different from most people my age. I would rather use napkins instead of toilet paper in a run-down apartment in Humboldt Park and be financially and mentally independent rather than live in a high-end condo in Lincoln Park and be completely naïve and clueless because my parents handle everything for me.

All in all, I'm glad my mom and my dad raised me to be ... me.