Important Life Lessons (Ramblings from a Pregnant Lady)

Original My Space post date: September 6, 2007

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine today who really got me thinking about the importance of family, friends, work, life, etc. and how you rank them personally. Everybody is different, because everybody has different goals in life. And occasionally (peharps unexpectantly like for me), those goals will change and those rankings will change.
I can't think of anything more important in my life right now besides family. It's pretty obvious why. I just got married, and we're expecting a baby girl this December. But I have come to realize that family is the glue that holds my life together. My parents have been there to support me through everything I have ever attempted - swimming, soccer, college, buying a house, marriage, parenthood. No matter what, I can always turn to them at the end of the day and tell them what happened, how things went, why I was sad, and so on. Family will always be there. Period.
And now I am beginning to see that it isn't crucial that I follow the exact career path that I had laid out for myself when I finished college. In fact, if my career gets put on hold for a couple of years while we begin to raise our own family, it really deosn't matter at all. There will always be jobs. There will always be that chance to find a new job out there. I told my friend that it would be absolutely wonderful if we made $100,000 a year and our child was born into that kind of wealth. But you can raise a child on a median salary and he or she will still be happy and healthy. As long as you are there for your child, providing love and support for her or him will always count more than money.
Friends fall in the same catagory. They will always be there to support you, no matter what happens. You can always fall back on friends. They will be there for you longer than your current job, so why turn your back on them?
I guess all I am saying is I have come to realize the importance of these significant parts of my life and feel that family and friends will always triumph over work and money. I guess I can also blame the pregnancy for this recent epiphany!