Learning to Thrive.

I’m not sure my parents will agree with these words, because I’m not sure they passed down these beliefs intentionally. I’ll venture a guess that this way of being goes back much further into the parenting practices of Eastern European Jews in the early 1900s. In any case, these are the messages I inherited. This is the current I’m steering against. Some days I succeed in redirecting my ship, and other days I don’t.

I wasn’t raised with unconditional love

We couldn’t afford it

Achievement was survival 

Knowledge the only irrevocable commodity

And “love” was a frivolous luxury. 

I wasn’t taught my unconditional value

We couldn’t afford it

Production was survival 

Hard work the only non refundable currency

And “rest” was a frivolous luxury. 

They taught me to succeed

Because they fought to survive.

Now I’m unpacking what it means to thrive.