I was surfing around the Internet the other day looking for some stories on wisdom, and came across this great story that highlights who you really need to take care of first. Check out this great little story…
The Story
A man observed a woman in the grocery store with a three year old girl in her basket. As they passed the cookie section, the little girl asked for cookies and her mother told her no. The little girl immediately began to whine and fuss, and the mother said quietly, “Now Monica, we just have half of the aisles left to go through; don’t be upset. It won’t be long.”
Soon they came to the candy aisle, and the little girl began to shout for candy. And when told she couldn’t have any, began to cry. The mother said, “There, there, Monica, don’t cry–only two more aisles to go, and then we’ll be checking out.”
When they got to the check-out stand, the little girl immediately began to clamor for gum and burst into a terrible tantrum upon discovering there’d be no gum purchased. The mother patiently said, “Monica, we’ll be through this check out stand in 5 minutes and then you can go home and have a nice nap.”
The man followed them out to the parking lot and stopped the woman to compliment her. “I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Monica,” he began. Whereupon the mother said, “I’m Monica . . . my little girl’s name is Tammy.” —Author Unknown
Look Out For Number One
This story reminds me of the old saying that you have to look out for number one. I always thought of it as a selfish look at life, but it truly isn’t. In order to be the best version of ourselves, we have to take care of ourselves first. We have to be happy, healthy, and in control if we want to be the best we can be from the people in our lives.
Think about the parent who is addicted to drugs. I’m not saying they’re an awful parent. I believe every case is unique, but that person is failing to look out for number one. They’re not taking care of themselves so that they can be around and set a great example for their children. And if you can’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of someone else?
Or how about the husband or wife who doesn’t care about their health? They never exercise, are always over-eating, and are suffering from a number of health conditions. They’re failing to look out for number one which will result in a failure to be there for their spouse and their family.
The Takeaway
I use to think it was selfish for someone to look out for themselves first, but now I believe it to be irresponsible if we don’t. How can we be of value to anyone else if we’re not in control of ourselves? In order to be the best for our loved ones, we have to be in control of our own lives. Control includes both mental and physical health. We need to ensure we have the regular daily activities that promote this health and enable us to be the best version of ourselves for the ones in our life. The version that is strong when we need to be strong, and patient when we need to be patient. How do you think Monica was able to last two more aisles?