Before I begin, I want to say that I am so proud of my family.
Despite the hardships we have been through, my family shows unconditional love to each other and constantly demonstrate our unwavering support. My mom and I talk every day on the phone, my brother and I are constantly sending each other funny and encouraging photos, and my dad and I send each other playlists we make for long drives.
The joke is that my brother and I- despite being raised in the same household and only being five years apart- experienced two very different childhoods.
When I was a child, my parents were beginning the process of building their own business, one that has expanded leaps and bounds about what they ever dreamed was possible. This meant long meetings, stressful deals, and countless packets of ramen noodles for dinner. Money was something we never had for very long especially, with more than a few cows and two children. While my brother was too young to commit to memory those times, I remember almost every detail. I was witness to my dad when he kicked open the agricultural industry's gates, pulled up a chair, and launched headfirst into the political and social games needed to be competitive in the industry. While my parents were off kicking butt and taking names, I was the one left to teach my brother how to ride his bike and sneak what spare change I could find in the couch cushions under his pillow when he lost a tooth. I became conditioned never to ask my parents for something that was deemed unnecessary. I filled my time with books and dolls from the Dollar Tree.
When my dad shares the story of his business, he tries to omit mine and my brother's names so he doesn't discredit our experiences. Living six hours away from my parents, I don't think realized just how removed from the narrative I have become. My dad just completed a podcast series detailing the story of our business but, being excluded from the story was more heartbreaking than I thought it would be. While I am proud of all of his accomplishments, I believe that his achievements would be nothing without his failures.
I was aware prior to this moment the importance of telling my story, but it didn't become real to me until now. I will not be written out of this narrative. No one can tell my story like I can, and now is no better time to start.
Despite the hardships we have been through, my family shows unconditional love to each other and constantly demonstrate our unwavering support. My mom and I talk every day on the phone, my brother and I are constantly sending each other funny and encouraging photos, and my dad and I send each other playlists we make for long drives.
The joke is that my brother and I- despite being raised in the same household and only being five years apart- experienced two very different childhoods.
When I was a child, my parents were beginning the process of building their own business, one that has expanded leaps and bounds about what they ever dreamed was possible. This meant long meetings, stressful deals, and countless packets of ramen noodles for dinner. Money was something we never had for very long especially, with more than a few cows and two children. While my brother was too young to commit to memory those times, I remember almost every detail. I was witness to my dad when he kicked open the agricultural industry's gates, pulled up a chair, and launched headfirst into the political and social games needed to be competitive in the industry. While my parents were off kicking butt and taking names, I was the one left to teach my brother how to ride his bike and sneak what spare change I could find in the couch cushions under his pillow when he lost a tooth. I became conditioned never to ask my parents for something that was deemed unnecessary. I filled my time with books and dolls from the Dollar Tree.
When my dad shares the story of his business, he tries to omit mine and my brother's names so he doesn't discredit our experiences. Living six hours away from my parents, I don't think realized just how removed from the narrative I have become. My dad just completed a podcast series detailing the story of our business but, being excluded from the story was more heartbreaking than I thought it would be. While I am proud of all of his accomplishments, I believe that his achievements would be nothing without his failures.
I was aware prior to this moment the importance of telling my story, but it didn't become real to me until now. I will not be written out of this narrative. No one can tell my story like I can, and now is no better time to start.
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