My little brother is — and I say this with all the love that I can muster — the laziest little shit I know.
I just got off the phone with my mother. She told me that ever since he got back from college, he’s been sleeping in until 2 p.m. every day. She wants to get him tested for mono. She thinks something’s wrong with him.
There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just 19 years old, and the only difference between him and Garfield the cat is that Garfield sometimes makes his bed.
Sam O, despite that laziness, actually pulled off an amazing internship this summer. It starts Monday. He’s also got a dream job in mind, and that company has offered him the opportunity to do some volunteer work on weekends.
Whether or not Sam O takes advantage of any of this is really up to him.
There’s something I’ve learned over the years, and it’s that no matter the situation, there’s only one way you can really learn something:
Your own way.
You cannot be told to do something. Comments from friends and strangers can spark something in your head, but the only action comes when you decide to take it.
And often, that action only comes when you’ve hit bottom.
I hope Sam O takes advantage of his opportunities this summer. I hope he works hard. I hope he changes his sleeping habits. I hope he decides to get off his lazy ass and join a gym.
I hope all of these things for Sam, but I know that no number of calls or texts or emails will change his habits.
He will do what he wants to do. He will learn when he wants to learn.
It is his road, and the best I can do is to support him and hope that he learns sooner rather than later.