Looking back, we can all pinpoint moments that changed our lives forever. Moments that altered our views and shaped the course of our life. I am opening my heart to share one of those moments with you and the lessons I learned from it.
See, I was born into poverty. One of my earliest childhood memories is that of fried green tomatoes. A neighbor came over with a large box of green tomatoes she had planned to toss, but instead offered them to us. With little more than a jar of jalapeños in the fridge, we accepted. At age five, with two younger siblings, we didn't have much, but we had a whole lot of green tomatoes. Mom fried up green tomatoes, with a little table salt, for lunch. And I have loved fried green tomatoes ever since.
That is one of those life-altering moments.
In my first years of school, I was a late reader in a special reading class. I struggled with adding coin values and telling time. I was shy and came from a broken family. By the looks of it, I was not destined for greatness.
fried green tomatoes.
In fourth grade, we were required to learn how to play the recorder. Oh how I tried. I'm sure the daily practice probably drove my mother crazy. To pass music class, we had to participate in a year-end performance. I could play the song s-l-o-w-l-y alright. When it came down to playing accompanied by music, I simply couldn't keep up. My wonderful teacher called me out in front of the class for underperforming. If only she had seen how hard I had practiced.
fried green tomatoes.
There were many nights in junior high that I'd spend four hours on math homework. Algebra was a foreign language to me. How numbers and letters could co-exist in an equation was lost on me. I didn't have anyone at home that could help and we certainly couldn't afford a tutor. I cried because I hated feeling stupid. Everyone else could do it, so why couldn't I? Teachers would often tell me I should know how to do the problems because they'd taught me already.
fried green tomatoes.
Geometry. It was all fun and games playing with shapes until they asked you to write five facts about the triangle on your paper.
fried green tomatoes.
Then high school hit with unrelenting force. Trigonometry, Chemistry, Calculus, AP English. I felt like a fraud being in 'smart people' classes. I struggled so hard to keep up. Every single morning, before school, I went to see my calculus teacher for help. You just can't fake understanding calculus when it comes to test time. I solemnly swear to never look at derivatives again, as long as I shall live.
fried green tomatoes.
See, I wasn't handed lemons to make refreshing lemonade. Nope, I was handed unripe green tomatoes that looked like learning struggles. As difficult as school was, I never quit trying. Frustration and exhaustion never stole away my hope for a better life.
And life turned out okay after all. Those late nights studying eventually paid off and I graduated with high honors. I later became a computer engineer, to everyone's shock I'm sure. I fell in love, had two amazing children, and now rock that stay-at-home-mom life.
Those tomatoes, headed for the bin, changed my life forever. So just remember, if life is tough, make fried green tomatoes and never give up.
Signing off
~Shantel
See, I was born into poverty. One of my earliest childhood memories is that of fried green tomatoes. A neighbor came over with a large box of green tomatoes she had planned to toss, but instead offered them to us. With little more than a jar of jalapeños in the fridge, we accepted. At age five, with two younger siblings, we didn't have much, but we had a whole lot of green tomatoes. Mom fried up green tomatoes, with a little table salt, for lunch. And I have loved fried green tomatoes ever since.
That is one of those life-altering moments.
In my first years of school, I was a late reader in a special reading class. I struggled with adding coin values and telling time. I was shy and came from a broken family. By the looks of it, I was not destined for greatness.
fried green tomatoes.
In fourth grade, we were required to learn how to play the recorder. Oh how I tried. I'm sure the daily practice probably drove my mother crazy. To pass music class, we had to participate in a year-end performance. I could play the song s-l-o-w-l-y alright. When it came down to playing accompanied by music, I simply couldn't keep up. My wonderful teacher called me out in front of the class for underperforming. If only she had seen how hard I had practiced.
fried green tomatoes.
There were many nights in junior high that I'd spend four hours on math homework. Algebra was a foreign language to me. How numbers and letters could co-exist in an equation was lost on me. I didn't have anyone at home that could help and we certainly couldn't afford a tutor. I cried because I hated feeling stupid. Everyone else could do it, so why couldn't I? Teachers would often tell me I should know how to do the problems because they'd taught me already.
fried green tomatoes.
Geometry. It was all fun and games playing with shapes until they asked you to write five facts about the triangle on your paper.
- It's a triangle.
- It's a small triangle.
- It looks like a slice of pizza.
- It has three sides.
- It's a white triangle.
fried green tomatoes.
Then high school hit with unrelenting force. Trigonometry, Chemistry, Calculus, AP English. I felt like a fraud being in 'smart people' classes. I struggled so hard to keep up. Every single morning, before school, I went to see my calculus teacher for help. You just can't fake understanding calculus when it comes to test time. I solemnly swear to never look at derivatives again, as long as I shall live.
fried green tomatoes.
See, I wasn't handed lemons to make refreshing lemonade. Nope, I was handed unripe green tomatoes that looked like learning struggles. As difficult as school was, I never quit trying. Frustration and exhaustion never stole away my hope for a better life.
And life turned out okay after all. Those late nights studying eventually paid off and I graduated with high honors. I later became a computer engineer, to everyone's shock I'm sure. I fell in love, had two amazing children, and now rock that stay-at-home-mom life.
Those tomatoes, headed for the bin, changed my life forever. So just remember, if life is tough, make fried green tomatoes and never give up.
Signing off
~Shantel
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