Lesson Learn

Lesson learned
There was a long period of time in my life when I did not care about anything but myself. It took me until the last brief moments of my grandfather’s life to start caring about others. It took until January of 2013 to stop taking people I care about for granted. During my elementary, and junior high, and high school years, especially high school, is where I took just about everything to heart and started to appreciate the help he was doing for me with little in return.
My grandfather was not always a cheerful man as long as I can remember. That all changed one fateful day when my grandmother past away in the winter of 2003. He made a promise to her before she died and said, ‘That he was going to change his selfish ways.” At the start of third grade or second grade, I started to use his kindness for my own benefit. Knowing he would always say “yes” I would always ask him for toys, candy, ice cream, etc. Back then I thought it was the job of the grandparent to basically cater to their grandchildren.
It was my seven grade year in junior high I had a teacher who was not my teacher outside of school. With no degree in teaching he can teach the course as if he has been teaching for years. My grandfather helped me with all my US history homework that year. A man who lived through two wars, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and President Kennedy assassination was a walking history book. Anything that happened in the twentieth century was right in my backyard without me ever realizing it: that he was a history book with vast knowledge of this country in twentieth century. However, he had a story about his old days I would get up and leave. By never really listening to him, people said, I was quite disrespectful towards him: I basically did what I wanted, and I did not care. High school was the biggest time in life when I regretted mistreating my grandfather the most. Even though I spent the most time with him then I feel as though was not there. Every time when I needed a ride he was a call away and was always right there waiting on me. For example I had basketball games my freshmen year and he would bring me to all those games and would actually stay the whole time and cheer me on. Now, to think about it he was always there behind the scenes helping me out even when I was down. When I was mad one day he just came by me and tapped my shoulder and said ’ManMan, this life is too short to be mad, spiteful, and the Grinch because everything goes by in the blink of an eye. Just smile and laugh at every situation and at the end it will be ok.” What he said did not really hold any weight at that time. I just put it in the back of my mind. I found out exactly what he meant at the beginning of this year when he passed away so suddenly.
The events with my grandfather made me start appreciating the things and people right in my front yard. I took him for granted all the way to the end and thought he would be around forever and thought I had time. Like he told me, life is too short. You are here today and gone tomorrow and I did the opposite and let my opportunity slip right through my hands to get to him better. I learned from this is that nobody is here forever and never take anybody for granted even if it is your enemy, or family. You will never know or realize how great of an impact he or she made on your life before it is too late. All I can say is it’s not worth the pain or grief of a “what if.”