Out of Sight out of Mind

I've decided that despite my consistent efforts with a daily journal, I'm not that effective at keeping up to date on my blog. Probably because I don't feel the need to do it as much since I do keep a regular journal, that and life seems to be keeping me pretty busy... or I'm keeping my life busy, something like that.

The most exciting news I have to offer as of late is that my sister moved in with me about 2 weeks ago and I've decided that I love it! Yeah, we have our little differences and my "motherly nature" comes out every once in awhile which I kind of regret at times, but getting to spend time with her is pretty much awesome! We made a goal to ride our bikes as much as possible. We even went so far as to say that we were going to try and go the whole summer without filling up our cars with gas... this has proved to be a little more difficult than originally planned, but we are making a valiant effort none the less. *imagine radio announcers voice* Stay tuned for more info about our random bike escapades!

One of the things that I have discovered over the last two years since I moved away from home is that family really is something that means more to me than anything else. I remember when I first moved away from home and thought that I was so glad to be away from everything... no more high school drama, no more little siblings running around being obnoxious and yelling at you, no more parents telling you want to do... I thought it would be the best thing ever. And I was right, none of those things were there. But somehow, the drama did still exist, it just took on a new twist (dating took on a whole new meaning, all of a sudden you could potentially marry the person you were going on a date with, that thought was never to cross your mind when you were in high school) Yes, the siblings were gone, but suddenly roommates became pretty much the same thing, except you had to be nicer to them. (I got lucky and actually had really awesome roommates so it wasn't that big of a deal for me, though it was still interesting to have to get used to living with new people) And while it was true that parents were no longer telling you what to do, I somehow found myself missing their questions of where I was going. (that was until I'd been away for a year and went home to visit and all of a sudden had to be accountable to them again).

I also realized in all of this that my parents actually did know what they were talking about when they were giving me advice when I was in high school. As much as I thought that I knew better, I really was just another one of those stubborn teenagers who though they knew everything when in reality I still had about the understanding of a five year old who was determined to do everything on my own. Its true what they say about parents understanding more about your life than you give them credit for. The problem is that they have the added bonus of hindsight and they don't always realize that the reality of what is going on is not what we want to hear at the time we are going through the trial, we just want someone to let us whine about it for awhile, not tell us it will be okay and we'll be grateful for it eventually.

I've come to the conclusion that as parents its their responsibility, no, their duty to personally embarrass and provoke their children to anger when it comes to sharing stories about all the stupid things you said or did, and not just when you were a young child. Guaranteed anything that is told to your mother (or at least to mine) about the awkward and strange (and happy news) things that you have done will be shared with every family friend, neighbor, and random person in the mall that she stops to talk to. Mothers love to talk about their kids, and its not because they don't love you and want to make your life miserable, its because they DO love you and they want to share all the ways that you have grown and learned more about yourself. (this does however, result in comments such as "oh so you are the one that fell down four flights of stairs and landed in the mop bucket at the bottom!" no that has not actually happened to me, though it would make a good story...)

No, the best part about all this isn't the fact that I finally "got away" from all the "annoyances" of living with my family, its all the times that I have gone home and been tackled by my younger siblings trying to be the first one to give me a hug. Its all of the several hour long phone calls with my mom, even if we aren't actually talking about something. Its the random family vacations that take my mind off all the homework that I should be working on instead. Its the opportunity to see my dad in a whole new way and get to understand him more and talk to him like I never had when I lived at home. Its realizing that my brothers aren't just annoying, they actually can be fun to hang out and play games with. Its going home and not getting any sleep because my sister and I stay up till all hours of the morning talking trying to get caught up on each others lives. And most importantly, its the understanding of what it truly means to be an eternal family, to appreciate the fact that no matter what happens, we will all be together forever. That truth is something that will always be a comfort in my life and bring joy no matter how many trials I am facing at the time.

Penny for thought...

While families are forever, that is not an excuse for putting off till tomorrow what you should be doing today. Just because they will be with you for eternity doesn't mean that you should neglect them now. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, so why not start today? I have a quote on the wall in my room that says something to the effect of "Life saved for tomorrow leaves a lot of empty yesterdays." Are you saving your "I love you"s for tomorrow? Maybe they need to hear it today, because tomorrow may never come and even if it does... you said tomorrow once, who's to say you won't do it again?