Appreciate the Things You Get to Do

As a teenager, I often found myself at odds with my father's endless list of chores. One moment stands out vividly: it was a scorching summer day, and while my friends were splashing around at a pool party, I was stuck waterproofing our roof. In Mexico, unlike in the US where roofs use shingles, rolls of cloth-like material have to be laid with a white sticky substance. It’s messy. Anyway, the sun beat down mercilessly as I grumbled, resenting every brushstroke.

Looking back now, I realize those moments were shaping me in ways I couldn’t comprehend then. My dad's insistence on doing tasks to the best of my ability, no matter how mundane, was teaching me invaluable life lessons. Whether it was repainting the fence, maintaining the AC units, or washing the family cars, each chore was an opportunity to learn and grow.

Isn't it interesting how the things we resist most in our youth often become the foundations of our character?

Those sweltering days on the roof, those weekends tending to the garden—I wasn’t just completing tasks. I was building discipline, attention to detail, and a strong work ethic.