Tired of Being Humble
I’ll probably take some flack for writing this, but I’m tired of being humble. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lifetime of accomplishments as have my immediate family. For the most part, these accomplishments aren’t talked about much with others. But, you know what? I’m tired of that! I’m tired of being modest and humble.
For years I volunteered and never got a formal acknowledgment from the place — my boys’ elementary school — regarding my dedication and passion which hundreds of students received through my groups and lessons, all developed and delivered free over 13 years! Two places I’ve volunteered did formally acknowledge my contributions — the Children’s Museum of La Crosse gave me their Volunteer of the Year award in the early 2000s and our middle school gave me their Friend of Education Award for helping in a 6th grade ELA classroom several years ago. While those acknowledgments were great, the time I spent giving to either of those placers nowhere near matched what I gave to the elementary school.
My boys are accomplished. But, we never made much about it. Therefore, most people don’t know we have a valedictorian, a national merit scholar, a Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention winner, a Phi Beta Kappa member (the oldest academic honor society in the United States), and a published researcher. These are just the academic accomplishments of one child. He has other talents as well.
I have two master’s degrees. Yet, I am not considered an expert — at least people don’t ask my opinion regarding those fields — I doubt they even remember that I was once a nationally certified pediatric nurse practitioner, seeing patients of my own with a full schedule when I worked. I taught at two different universities — both private, one world-renowned. Undergraduate students were taught at the first institution I was at and graduate-level students were seen at the second. I enjoyed being seen as a knowledgeable specialist when I worked in healthcare.
One of our sons is working full time right now. It’s not a forever job but the pandemic pushed him far enough away from wanting to finish his university schooling at the current time. His growth as a young adult and his self-awareness, as well as his maturity, has skyrocketed during this time. He’s in a good place and getting good practical experience that will afford him skills he’ll use during his whole life. I am so proud of his work ethic and lack of complaint regarding others with whom he works.
And, our youngest son is an artist. I’m sure those that follow him on social media are much more familiar with his success than my friends are. But, again, I don’t say enough about him. I’ve been careful with what I say to people. He’s been extremely successful. He’s making a living wage and has his own studio space now — a large space in an industrial park in St. Paul. Yet, some think he might be barely scraping by because I never say how really successful he is. It’s because I am trying to be humble AND trying to protect others who have not been as successful. This is what I am tired of doing.
My husband worked for thirty years as a provider in healthcare. But, with so much misinformation floating around regarding vaccines and viruses and PPE, he’s often looked at with disregard when he mentions some facts from his medical reading or experiential knowledge. This doesn’t seem to matter to him. But, it does to me.
I am so tired of “just being retired” folk who don’t know anything! We’ve been married 34 years, have three accomplished sons, and yet we are told about what jobs and relationships are like or “should” be like by some. Nope. I’m tired of being humble. Those people can talk to me in 30 years and we’ll see how they compare.
Lastly, I tried to do some reading on the subject of humility, and how it becomes tiring to always be humble. There is very little information out there. However, I did find one source that was enjoyable to read and seemed to know what angst I am experiencing. It’s called, “ 7 Things Overly Humble People Need to Tell Themselves in Order to Succeed “ and was just published this week. Maybe, it’s time to be an a_ _hole, as the article suggests!
Originally published at http://theapplesinmyorchard.com on February 21, 2022.
