Paper
Shannon K. McMeans
Professor Harrison
English 121
October 18, 2009
I am a Caregiver.
Everyone has a best quality, which they not only are aware of but people around them are aware of as well. These qualities can be influenced and can grow by one’s own personal decision but to an extent they are already rooted within one’s self. At the beginning of this semester, we took an archetype test and I found that I am a caregiver. To be honest, this did not surprise me, I know where I lack and succeed in different areas of my life. The definition of a caregiver, in my own words, is a person that is always trying to find the best for that other person, to take care of their well-being, put their needs before my own. A word that comes to mind when I think of the word caregiver is love. Love plays a big part in care giving, and it touches other people’s lives as well, which makes it all so much more worth the while.
I am…
A Daughter. I was blessed to enter into this world with great parents, that I will be the daughter of until the day I leave this world. Growing up with two sisters, myself being the oldest, with the best parents a girl could ask for, I have learned a lot. Life throws trials your direction every day, week, month, year, and you have the choice to let the tragedy consume you or fight through it. The responsibilities behind the word ‘daughter’ have always been at top priority in my life. I have been raised to be respectful, fight for what I believe in, and to never give up.
A Sister. Along with the fact that I am a daughter, I am also a sister. I have two sisters, Bridget and Meghan, who are younger than me in age. Which leaves me as the oldest; the responsibilities this title requires of me are great. I feel that these all are part of the caregiver archetype, along with the fact I am a daughter as well. The bond that I have with my two sisters is irreplaceable, they are my best friends. With the help from one another, we get each other through a lot. When one has a bad day, there are always two faces smiling back, saying everything will be ok. We take care of each other.
A Best Friend. As I have listed above, I am a daughter and I am a sister-both of which are very important roles that play a big part in my life. Along with these is the title of a best friend. The reason I listed this next within my paper, is because I feel that it is very important, and it also ties into the daughter and sister aspect of my life. A best friend is someone you can laugh with, cry with, shop with, tell anything to, grow with, etc. My dad, mom, and two sisters are my best friends and the bond we have between the five of us, will never change. I also have a few persons in my life that are not related through blood, but I view them as family (best friends.) Again, the best friend aspect of my life also relates back to the caregiver archetype. I actually am called the ‘mother’ when it comes to my friends. Any adventure we take ourselves on as we have grown up through the years, I have always been known as the ‘mother’ who always is level headed, makes sure everyone is always ok, keeps everyone straight. Growing up, to be honest, I always got a little annoyed when I would be called this. I wanted to be reckless and fun, breaking rules etc. But, again that just wasn’t in my genes. I have and always will be the motherly person in the group. I have grown to accept it, and actually love the fact that I am this way.
A Christian. To be honest, I should have listed this one first, because it is the most important to me. Along with being a daughter, a sister and a best friend, the fact and feeling that I am a Christian makes all of the others fall into place, and helps me experience true joy in every aspect of my life. When I was younger, I accepted Jesus into my heart, and ever since then I have had a peace within me, that helps me the positive archetype of a caregiver, along with being a daughter, sister and a best friend. Without God’s guidance and protection, I would not be the person I am today. There is a lot of bad in the world, and those statistics are only getting higher. With the help from God, I am able to keep a calm spirit, and focus on what truly does matter, and that the worldly views only set you up for disappointment and regret. Again, this title that I hold myself responsible for within my life is the most important, and all of my others fall under this.
Above I have listed for you four huge parts of who I am, that all have a big part with my archetype: the caregiver. Hopefully, after reading on all four of these, you have seen how they all relate back to my caregiver ways within my life. What stands out to me, is that I constantly am focusing on others. I go from the daughter, to the sister, to the best friend and then to being a Christian. All of these play major roles not only in my life, but also greatly affect the people in my life that I am these four things too. The main component of all of these is love. This semester, I have really learned a lot about the different archetypes and their roles, this has helped me realize where my strong places are, along with my weaknesses. I used to be annoyed with the fact that I did not have the ‘guts’ as you could say to try daring things, go out on a limb for something, but not after this first part of the chapter-I have grown to appreciate my want to be the caregiver. While doing a activity in class, it was brought to my attention that I am not the only one that is a caregiver, I found that a lot of women actually are the caregiver, and that makes perfect sense to me. In the bible, God is always stating that the woman is the man’s help meet, that she is the one taking care of the children, while the man goes out to provide. As you look at the world today, this idea is quickly fading. There are so many scenarios that the woman is providing, taking care of not only the child, but the house and the bills as well. To me, this is very foreign, because I have been raised in a home where my father is the one who goes to work every day, providing for our family, and my mother is the one who stays home and keeps the house neat and always has our meals ready, and the availability to go to my sisters and my activities.
What my goal is for this paper is to show my reader exactly what my archetype the ‘caregiver’ means to me. I wanted to focus on the four huge characteristics that I feel all relate back to the caregiver, along with a brief description on both. Like I mentioned above, there is one major trait that I have that puts my archetype to work in my four major parts of my life. This trait is the ability to love. Love makes a lot of things possible, along with always helping situations and making one feel good. If you were to ask any one of the people that are part of me being a daughter, a sister, a best friend and a Christian they would all speak about the love that I have for all of them, because I make it a point to have that be known to them every day. Isn’t that what it is all about? Life is too short to focus on the negative, on who has done wrong to you in the past, we need to focus on the positive, the good times and the people around you that you love and you know they love you in return.
After writing this paper, I actually have a broader understanding of what it is exactly to be a caregiver, and think I have defined it for myself in the few pages. I’m sure it all came out a little scattered, and random but I think literature is perfect that way. Having the ability to write exactly what I am thinking and feeling, and letting my voice be heard. With all of this said, I would like to end with the definition of a caregiver: In all of the dictionaries and online sites that I have went to, to find a true definition I agree with, they all are about a person that takes care of a person with a disability, unpaid. I do not feel this definition is correct in my life, or many others for that matter. A definition that I feel explains my own personal definition perfectly is actually a verse from the bible, referencing to 1 Corinthians 13:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
marlen said,
October 19, 2009 at 11:29 am
YAY! “A”!