Life throws lots of punches at you. Sometimes you have to grab the fist coming at your face and break its wrist. Other times you “roll with the punches.”
I have always been a fighter. I am a taurus and we are known for being stubborn (our symbol is a bull, enough said). I am your typical Taurus, I don’t listen, do things my own way and have to make mistakes myself before realizing that the way someone else suggested to do something is the better way. I am also a strong willed, dedicated, enthusiastic, hard worker. You have to take the good with the bad.
Anyways, this post isn’t really about me. It’s about what you should do when life gives you something wonderful and then sends a challenge along with it. Do you stay and fight for the good, or do you succomb to the wrench in your plans?
My brother was hired to do an internship this summer in New Mexico, which will be an awesome opportunity for him. He is 21 and majoring in Health and Safety Management, his internship is doing health and safety management for a Copper Mine. Last summer he spent his days working on the Shepler’s Mackinaw Island Ferry, so he is quite the world traveler (okay, stateside traveler, but I’ve never worked in another state!).
He left last week to go down to NM and I found out today he doesn’t have a place to live yet because they cannot find anywhere that suits my mom.My mom wanted to take the car (she was going to fly home so he had a car) and leave today, and if he didn’t come with her he would not have a car nor a place to stay.
Anyways, it’s this big drama. I do not know what they expected out of a mining town—mansions on the beach, perhaps?
After I found out what was going on, I called my brother and told him he needed to get away from Mom for a minute and talk to me. I asked him what HE wanted to do and what he would do if he left. I explained to him how great this internship was going to look on his resume (my HR background does come in useful as a stay at home mom, yay!), how nobody could make this decision for him. He does not want to leave but he does not want to fight with my mom, is what it comes down to.
I think the entire situation sucks, for lack of a better word. He is doing something not many people get to do in their lifetimes, and yet it is soiled by the living conditions (or lack thereof) .
What would YOU do in this situation? Would you stay and live in slightly sub-par living conditions for 3 months to get awesome work experience, or would you come home and do a typical summer college student job?
You already know what I would do.
LCW says:
Stay, he’ll regret his decision later to come home. It’s only 3 months of his life, a subpar living environment is short lived, the experience will last him a lifetime.
c.c. says:
stay. a pad is inevitably nothing more than a place to crash. and in this economy, in this job market the better you pad your resume the better off you are.
Rachel B. says:
I think he should stay. Three months is not that long. Was your mom going to leave the car with him over the summer, but now is going to take it back because she doesn’t like where he will be living? That seems a bit like shooting him in the foot. Your mom should not be putting him in this position. I think he should stick to his guns and do what he thinks is best for him long-term.
Michele says:
Where in NM is he? I would tell him to stay. What great work experience! I am from NM, but from a bigger (haha) city. There are definately some rough parts of this state, but I think that kind of life experience is what molds our lives. Just my opinion.
Kristy says:
I’m a taurus too! He should think of it as an adventure. And remind him – We regret the things we don’t do.
liz says:
he can never get that experience back. i say go for the subpar!
LA says:
Haha I am taurus too and I fit the description to the tee. My mom cried all the way home after helping me move into my newly renovated apartment in an up-coming area i.e. really nice on the inside with locks & bars on everything including the windows in the ghetto with a handful of new builds each block. My neighbor got mugged by a kid on a bike. It was the best experience of my life, very was good for me. I worked my butt off and learned how to live in a different area than my own. Not to mention I had great stories for life and those all important future interviews. Tell him to put on his big boy boxers and deal with it. (that was meant to be cute not harsh btw =))
Erin says:
Um, he’d be crazy not to stay. There’s really no decision to make.
When I first moved to NYC, I had no apt, only 2 suitcases of clothes. At first, I subletted…. the place was a complete dump. But then I found an apt a few months later. A really, really nice apt. He’s going to skip the opportunity because he won’t be living in a mansion? That seems insane to me.
But I’m also a Taurus. Your description of us bulls was completely spot-on
Angela says:
I would stay. If he doesn’t do this internship, he is going to regret it. It’s a great opportunity and great experience.
Mungee's Ma says:
Oh he should definitely stay! It’s hard when our moms hold such influence over us and guilt us into doing things (or possibly not doing, in this case).