I Thought It Was A Good Idea

I thought it was a good idea. I thought it was a good idea to help you eat healthier. Nothing too extreme, ya know; skim milk instead of 2%, grilled instead of fried, water instead of soda—the basics. I wasn’t asking for anything too difficult to follow like some vegan lifestyle or that Paleo nonsense. How can you even function eating like that? I knew it would be too much of a stretch for you. So I just thought that these little healthy habits would be a great lifestyle change. I was trying to help.

I also thought it was a good idea to try and get you to go out more with your friends. I just wanted you to call them more often, just not wait for them to always call you. I know they are kind of out of control on the weekends, but you could use a few good nights out every once in awhile, too! You wanted to just stay in last Saturday, but I convinced you to go out. You are becoming more social, see? I was just trying to help with that.

Yoga is great for everyone. I wanted you to come to those classes they offer at the gym after I get out of work. I figured it would really help relax you after baseball practice. I should probably even go more often, but I really wanted to concentrate on you. I know that you hated it, but I was really just trying to help.

I started to get you to shop at J.Crew and Express. I know it’s not really your style, but I figured you could work on your office attire a little bit. We all might not be fashion gurus, but you really should start becoming more interested in dressing formally. I really don’t think it’s a waste of money—you look great! Don’t give me that look. I’m not forcing you to do anything. I’m just trying to help!

I was able to convince you to start taking more engineering classes. I respect that you’re a business major and all but you’re gonna totally need some of those technical skills later on in life. Trust me, this is a good investment! It may not be the most interesting material but I’m just trying to get you on the right path.

Do you have my textbook? I thought it was so great I had you start reading some British literature. It really enhances your vocabulary and the stories are truly mesmerizing. I know this may not be your thing and you rather kick back and skim through Men’s Health, but this is what you should be reading. You should thank me!

I thought it was all a good idea. I thought it would be a good idea to get you into all these things you had no admiration for. I wanted to transform you in a way that helped you fit the mold of what I see in movies. What’s so bad about trying to get you to eat better, become more active, and engage in more social activities? How am I the bad guy?

I tried changing you. I tried to fix what wasn’t broken. I tried to create what I thought would be the most flawless individual. I tried to help you become what I thought encompasses the perfect person—healthy, fit, smart, outgoing. I think we all do it subconsciously—plant our expectations and hopes on our partner so they can evolve into what we believe is greener, better, superior. Sometimes we are never satisfied. We are all dreaming of the perfect person, the perfect moment, the perfect relationship—because we don’t believe it’s enough when it’s sitting right in our hands.