On parental breakthroughs

My parents came back from Greece last night after a six week rehabilitation trip. My family is notoriously bad at relaxing - we work all the time and have a hard time seeing how tired we are until we break down in some way or another. It's weird to call it lucky I guess, but I get migraines when I work too hard or sleep too little, so my body has a built-in fail-safe system that lets me know when enough is enough. My parents on the other hand, don't, which has lead to three or four heart attacks in my dad and stress-related depression in my mom. Fun times huh? Anyways, the trip seems to have done them good, and when I met them for coffee mid hand-in-panic I was happy to see how relaxed they seemed. It was like their entire countenance had grown a little brighter.

Then something happened that made me genuinely proud of their accomplishments.
They told me about their coworkers who'd they'd been staying with while visiting Cyprus, and how they seemed so tired and worn-out, how all they ever thought about was work and how unhappy they seemed. Then they had realized how they had appeared and acted the exact same way for years. My siblings and I have been trying to tell them all along, but it's taken them until now to get the message across. Their coworkers had excitedly exclaimed that they could apply for the minister position in Mallorca, and my parents had looked at each other and just said that enough was enough. They've finally reached the conclusion that working abroad is too much work without getting anything at all in return, and I was so happy to hear it.

They'd also stated that they hadn't tried hard enough to make a life for themselves where they live now. They've lived about an hour by train from Stockholm for the past 3 years, and they've been unhappy with most everything about it, stating that they want to move closer to Stockholm for their grandchildren. I've seen this happen again and again over the past few years - move someplace new, work too hard, complain about life situation, move and do it all over again. The fact that they've realized their errors and want to start over and try again, and this time really try, just filled me with so much pride. All these things may seem small and insignificant, but to someone who knows my family in general and my parents in particular, it's a really big thing. It's a step away from the duty-bound and toward... well, life, really. They've worked really hard, blindly, for so long not seeing what was making them sick and tired, and now it's like they've seen the light.

I just hope that in the long run, this will lead to less heart-ache and problems for them, and that they can keep this up. Saying no, leaving work undone, relaxing - it's not a family trait, so that they've taken these steps to lead a lifestyle more suited for their age and wants is amazing. So proud.

On a related note, it's 11.41 pm and guess who's still in school, working? Yeah, I should take a leaf out of my parents' book and knock it the fuck off. Ah well, I'll do it... next week. Gotta get this shit done. Mid-term critiques tomorrow! Nine hours and counting.

Wish me luck, guys.