Tweet
The old saying is that you can't choose your family; and while that is true of course, most of us including myself are happy with the one we have been given; for the most part. Friends; well, they come and go, I have not even one left from high school or college, and only 4 or 5 good friends I have met in the past 20 years or so who I actually enjoy spending my time with.
But family, well they are always around when you peek your head back into the family homestead or hometown every few years or every few months, and the interaction is not always pleasant. And that makes us realize why we spend so much time on the road!
Got a nice-enough Mum, she means well and has a good heart; but man does she make me crazy with all the questions and constant phone calls. I am pushing the 1/2 century mark, but still get almost daily ''check-ins'' when I am home to see if I am OK or to hear about what just happened at bridge or michigan rummy or with the book club. Once a week or even once a month would be fine, thank you.
Irish family, so 8 brothers and sisters [true] and also many cousins and many nieces and nephews and now great-nieces, etc....probably 45 of us all told. Of course of that number I only stay in contact with 5 or 6, the ones only in or near my city and who I am closest to in age and interests. My brothers and sisters are cool, but what's with the constant back-stabbing and mean-spirited comments about the others? And, what are they saying about ME when I am not around?
It's pretty maddening, really...I've been home exactly 2 weeks now after 4 months on the road and it never ends; So-and so telling me crap about X; Y telling me shit about Z; Mum telling me stuff about everyone and then they telling me stuff about Mum; some of it really mean-spirited, some of it just plain annoying; all of it really just boring ....and frankly, I just plain don't care about 99% of it!
You can't choose your family, but you CAN travel a lot and only deal with them via e-mail; better.
But family, well they are always around when you peek your head back into the family homestead or hometown every few years or every few months, and the interaction is not always pleasant. And that makes us realize why we spend so much time on the road!
Got a nice-enough Mum, she means well and has a good heart; but man does she make me crazy with all the questions and constant phone calls. I am pushing the 1/2 century mark, but still get almost daily ''check-ins'' when I am home to see if I am OK or to hear about what just happened at bridge or michigan rummy or with the book club. Once a week or even once a month would be fine, thank you.
Irish family, so 8 brothers and sisters [true] and also many cousins and many nieces and nephews and now great-nieces, etc....probably 45 of us all told. Of course of that number I only stay in contact with 5 or 6, the ones only in or near my city and who I am closest to in age and interests. My brothers and sisters are cool, but what's with the constant back-stabbing and mean-spirited comments about the others? And, what are they saying about ME when I am not around?
It's pretty maddening, really...I've been home exactly 2 weeks now after 4 months on the road and it never ends; So-and so telling me crap about X; Y telling me shit about Z; Mum telling me stuff about everyone and then they telling me stuff about Mum; some of it really mean-spirited, some of it just plain annoying; all of it really just boring ....and frankly, I just plain don't care about 99% of it!
You can't choose your family, but you CAN travel a lot and only deal with them via e-mail; better.
Comment