You Can Pick Your Friends But You Can't Pick Your Family

Nor can you pick your families friends, unfortunately. Although, most of my families friends are pretty awesome. There are some however that I don't think I would choose if given the choice. Not because they don't treat the family member well, because they do. Not because they aren't good people, because they are. But simply because there can only be one Queen in the castle, and I'm already ruling this kingdom.
That's not to say that the family member still can't be friends with them. And because I have the utmost respect for the family member and appreciate them and love them I can turn the other way. I don't have to like that they are friends, nor do I have to agree with it. And from here on out I will promise to leave the friends alone as long as they do the same. And I apologize for saying anything that may have been taken offensively, I was only venting and using this as my outlet.

Cry Me A River and Opinions ARE Assholes

I can tolerate a lot of things. I can tolerate a lot of people. I can not tolerate the things people say or do when the weather gets bad, so I get a little angsty. Yes, I understand we live in New England, NO SHIT! Yes, I understand the majority of us complain in the winter because it's cold and it snows and in the summer because it's hot and humid--so maybe the minority should jump on the band wagon and stop pretending they love this white, wet, messy crap. We all know you don't! You can't do anything. You can't get out and excecise like a lot of you really NEED to do :) Me included. People are constantly cancelling plans, which royally pisses me off--it's snow. The world will not come to end because it's snowing, I promise. And if you have lived in New England your whole life like many of you proclaim on a daily basis then you should know how to drive in this shit. Is it fun? No. But you can do it. And if you do it right, you will make it you destination. And if you don't, well that leads me to my next topic--death. If you don't, you will die. But guess what? News flash--EVERYONE DIES!! Oh, wait! Did you think you were immortal? LOL You're not. We are born, simply to DIE. I had a fight a couple years ago with my cousin over this topic--it didn't even start out that we were arguing about this, but that is a whole other blog in itself. I said "death is death." He said, yelled, screamed, actually, "NO IT'S NOT!" You see, his father, my uncle committed suicide. Sad? Yes. Devistating? Absolutely. Did he still die? Sure did. I sat in a hospital room for days and watched my uncle who courageously battled Leukemia for 6yrs die, slowly. My whole family lived at the hospital. Everyday we wondered if today would be the day. He finally succumbed to his illness, quietly, peacefully at the age of 50. Did he still die? You betcha. I work in that hospital now, there isn't a day when I don't go up on the floor he was on and don't have flashbacks to those days and remember the pain and suffering we all as a family endoured. Not too many years later my Nana had a stroke. This is a woman that I loved and continue to love with all my heart. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for her, or her for me. I watched her slowly disapear in front me day by day for months until she was no longer there. Did she still die? Absolutely. My Grandmother is currently in a nursing home suffering from an unspeakable disease that no one, NO ONE will understand unless YOU, YOURSELF have someone close to you go through and see them first hand on a daily basis. The Grandmother I knew, who helped me learn my times tables when I was in fifth grade, then turned around and helped me with my infant daughter so I could get some sleep died a long time ago. What I see now is the shell of the person I once knew walking around trying so desperately to grab onto something familiar. I am no longer familiar to her, I am no longer a memory, I am her long forgotten past. Will she die? Yes. And like the others I will mourn her. But the mourning has to end. Remembering the ones who have died is ok. To continue to mourn years after they are gone, I think is unhealthy and they wouldn't want that. Remember them, celebrate who they were here--not who they could still be if they hadn't died. Like I said, everyone dies. We shouldn't prolong it. My Grandfather wanted to stop taking all his medications and stop going to the doctors after the first of the year. My mom and and my aunt were against it. Who are they to be against it? It's not their life! They have a life to live and to do with as they please. This is his life, he has earned the right to choose to live or die. When people are sick in the hospital and no longer want to fight, who are we to try and coax them? We don't know how they feel, how much pain they are in, how tired they are. If they say no, no more, we need to learn to respect that regardless of how much it hurts. We need to not be so selfish. And we need to stop blaming drs for everything. Drs. are only human. Ok, so the dr didn't prescribe this drug or prescribed a drug that made him/her do, feel, act a certain way--guess what? A lot of medicine is trial and error. Does it suck? Yes. But there is no 100% gurantee on anything, especially life. And speaking of life. While we are still alive we should respect each other's decisions to do what we want with our lives. Just because I choose to stay with my husband because I have a family and I believe in my vows regardless of what he or I have done, doesn't mean anyone should treat us any differently. Not everyone is 'blissfully' happy. My happiness isn't going to mirror the next person's happiness. I love my family--I'm happy with where I am in my life right now. If I call or email or text any of my friends upset about anything, whether it be my husband, my kids, my work whatever, they should listen. Even if it's the one millionth time I've called about the same thing. You may be tired of hearing it, you may give the same advice over and over again--I'm listening--I just don't want to follow it. I just needed someone to vent to. THAT is what friends are for. To be a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, whether it's once, twice or a million times about the same thing. It shouldn't matter. I try to always listen to my friends. I have friends who call me and complain about the same thing or things ALL the time. That's ok. I'll listen, throw my two cents in and we will move on to other topics. Does it get redundant? Yeah--but if they can't talk to me, who are they going to talk to? There are other places to sound off. FB, Twitter, Myspace. I do it. People complain about things, either to me, or around me, then do nothing to fix it or help themselves so I again will throw my two cents in. If you are trying to lose weight, or complain that you are gaining weight, perhaps eating out and eating unhealthy food all the time isn't the best idea in the world. I'm not the best example of a good eater, but I'm not complaining of gaining either. Yes, I will go no holds bar to lose weight. I have been heavy/fat most of my life. What I have found is that no one really likes the fat kid. I'm guilty, I'll admit it--I'm weight racist. I have 10 more pounds to go and I'll be ultimately happy. I get on the scale every morning neurotically. Currently I'm dropping a pound a day--unhealthy maybe? Slim by summer and beach ready? Definitely :) Ok, my last rant before I go eat my ice cream, yes ice cream and still a pound a day, delectable isn't it? Since I mentioned the beach, how about everyone just stop with the OMG I'm gonna die of skin cancer thing and just go enjoy yourself on the beach. Your skin isn't going to turn to leather if you go for a couple hours once a week. And guess what? YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ANYWAY :-D