Relativity
Relativity
Do you have relatives like mine?
My perception is that some of the people in my family you probably would label as "unique" just to be kind. I do, too, but let's face it: sometimes relatives can be embarrassing.
You know what? They probably say the same thing about me from time to time, if what my kids say is any indication.
There's the relative who thinks they know it all. Got it. Check.
There's the relative who really does know it all. Got it. Check. There's the relative who works at trying to sound and act like Barney Fife--you know: the hopeless yokel. Got several of those.
Missing teeth and all (except that Barney Fife had all of his teeth. As far as I know).
There's the aunt who has to hug too long. I'm still working on that.
Relatives exist to bring you joy, pain, humiliation and embarrassment.
They keep you grounded, they make you infuriated.
They help you stay humble (not always in the nicest way) and sometimes if you are very fortunate, you get one or two who are the best friends you could have possibly chosen.
The best thing about relatives is that when you don't have anywhere else to turn, they have to take you in. At least until you get on your feet. Do you have any relatives like that? Got them. Check.
They may not always be the kindest, or most compassionate, but they are there when you need them.
They may tell you to feed yourself, that they won't clean up after you, but it's a roof over your head while you regroup and figure out what you're going to do next.
Or if you're running from the law, like Bonnie and Clyde wannabes.
Or if your pyramid scheme has just crumbled around your head and people (not the nice ones) are looking for you for retribution. ahem. I digress.
Relatives know your past and love you anyway.
There's something about those shared memories that forges a bond you can never have with new people. They know where you got that scar on your knee when you were seven. They might have been with you when you had your first car accident the day after you got your license. (Did we ever tell mom about that?)
They might have consoled you when your first crush broke your heart at seventeen. The point is, other people were with you that day (on each of those days) and lived through it with you.
It's hard to tell someone something later about how deeply you experienced something and have them really understand just like someone who was actually there.
So that bond is never quite the same.
Relatives. They knew you as a child, as a teenager, and as a young adult trying to make it on your own. Through every stage of your life, relatives were aware of you and what you were up to. Unless you went into the witness protection program. Then you're really on your own.
Do you have relatives like mine?
My perception is that some of the people in my family you probably would label as "unique" just to be kind. I do, too, but let's face it: sometimes relatives can be embarrassing.
You know what? They probably say the same thing about me from time to time, if what my kids say is any indication.
There's the relative who thinks they know it all. Got it. Check.
There's the relative who really does know it all. Got it. Check. There's the relative who works at trying to sound and act like Barney Fife--you know: the hopeless yokel. Got several of those.
Missing teeth and all (except that Barney Fife had all of his teeth. As far as I know).
There's the aunt who has to hug too long. I'm still working on that.
Relatives exist to bring you joy, pain, humiliation and embarrassment.
They keep you grounded, they make you infuriated.
They help you stay humble (not always in the nicest way) and sometimes if you are very fortunate, you get one or two who are the best friends you could have possibly chosen.
The best thing about relatives is that when you don't have anywhere else to turn, they have to take you in. At least until you get on your feet. Do you have any relatives like that? Got them. Check.
They may not always be the kindest, or most compassionate, but they are there when you need them.
They may tell you to feed yourself, that they won't clean up after you, but it's a roof over your head while you regroup and figure out what you're going to do next.
Or if you're running from the law, like Bonnie and Clyde wannabes.
Or if your pyramid scheme has just crumbled around your head and people (not the nice ones) are looking for you for retribution. ahem. I digress.
Relatives know your past and love you anyway.
There's something about those shared memories that forges a bond you can never have with new people. They know where you got that scar on your knee when you were seven. They might have been with you when you had your first car accident the day after you got your license. (Did we ever tell mom about that?)
They might have consoled you when your first crush broke your heart at seventeen. The point is, other people were with you that day (on each of those days) and lived through it with you.
It's hard to tell someone something later about how deeply you experienced something and have them really understand just like someone who was actually there.
So that bond is never quite the same.
Relatives. They knew you as a child, as a teenager, and as a young adult trying to make it on your own. Through every stage of your life, relatives were aware of you and what you were up to. Unless you went into the witness protection program. Then you're really on your own.
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