list of priorities

priority list

when i was growing up, dad layed down the list of priorities. this list wasn't a suggestion or an option, it was my list.

1.) health
2.) familiy
3.) schoolwork
4.) everything else

of course, when i was a teenager, dad's list was absurd. so i made up my own list based on my life experience.

1.) friends
2.) health
3.) family stuff
4.) everything else

schoolwork came in last but i still had enough leftovers dumped into priority no.4 to get into an accredited college, lead a prosperous civilian consumer lifestyle, and almost contribute to society. but lately i've come to notice that dad's list wasn't as convoluted as i initially thought it was.

health
i've noticed that my body isn't as invincible as i thought it would always be. i don't heal as fast, i don't last as long, and i gain weight when i'm not careful. health has to take priority spot number one now, dad you were right on that one. without health, i can't do anything, the rest of the list is null if health isn't taken care of.

family
i have mixed feelings regarding family. i look at my parents, who are nowhere near their immediate family members (mom's family is in the midwest, and dads family is in the mideast). at some point family took a bit of a back seat to other priorities like friends. friends get you jobs, a wife or husband starts out as a friend, friends are there for you when family can't be. friends are there for you all the time, family is there for you during family time -or so i've experienced.

friends
tho friends come and go just as dad said they would, though i've found it has been very rare to not have a single friends at any given moment between now and when i was in school. friends are always there (for me) however it's not always the same friend.

everything else:
school, studying, working, jobs, money... the necessary evil. i say do as little as possible to get as much as possible. by definition, everything else simple gets stuck as last priority except for those few rare occasions when it has to be bumped up the priority list in order to make it appear that it's always on top (for those few who need to see it like teachers/bosses/managers/customers).

but i feel that my true list of priorities won't shine thru until i'm a parent or guardian, pushing down my "do as i say, not as i do" list. for now i'm experimenting with what works.