whenever i read about a bitter custody battle at the end of a loveless marriage, an unruly teen being granted emancipation from his or her parents or even the prom queen that leaves her newborn baby in the toilet, the knot tightens in my stomach almost immediately. though i have been in my fair share of grudge matches, ruffled countless parental feathers and would opt for beading and organza over diapers and drool any day, it's always difficult hearing that, to some people, family is dispensable.
maybe i am a bit biased since my family unit resembles a small village rather than the modular status quo. if necessary, we could field two baseball teams - with pinch hitters and plenty of relief in the bullpens - while sporting enough body hair to make steinbrenner cringe (gotta love those italian genes, right?). i'll admit that there was a time when i didn't quite value the network i had, a few years where i made the lives of those around me less than savory. i can still replay the most memorable exchanges in my head, down to the very last snide comment and empty threat. it all sounded totally relevant and badass at the time but, in retrospect, the underbelly is exposed - an angry little girl oblivious to the treasure she'd been afforded. alexis shmexis: grade-a chump.
despite living away at college for four years, i never did experience that all-by-my-onesies feeling because that safety net of kin was a mere 100 miles away. when things got too intense or boring at home, i just hopped in the civvy (r.i.p., old blue) and hauled ass down 84 and, conversely, free laundry and food devoid of laxative could be found in the other direction. without getting all dickensian on y'all, it was the best of times, but once again i didn't realize it until long after i donned my cap and gown and reluctantly joined the real world. i never though i would remain in the boston area long after college but the chain of events leading up to my departure still kind of makes my head spin. one day, i'm temping at mass eye and ear and looking for a job which wouldn't brand me a sellout and the next, i'm driving a moving van at excessive speeds towards middle america - chicago, to be precise. why, people asked? why not, i replied. in my then 22 years, i'd never been the type that required handholding and coddling..might as well keep that streak alive. what i didn't anticipate, however, was just how thin the security blanket i'd downplayed for years would be stretched. basically, the threadbaredness of it fucking sucks sometimes.
they say distance makes the heart grow fonder. while i'm convinced that "they" is hallmark, i'll bob my head in agreement when those words play out like the events of this past weekend: getting the rare opportunity to see my entire family together in one room to celebrate a milestone in one of our lives. true, the cost of the plane ticket set me back a tad but it was well worth helping my favorite uncle ring in his 60th birthday. also, seeing my not yet two-year-old cousin flash the entire ballroom her huggies or my not yet thirty-year-old cousin shatter a glass while doing the white girl dance (jazz hands up and screaming "wooooooooooOOOOO!") was the icing on the proverbial cake; they had cannolis, durr.
..leaving a trail of breadcrumbs so i can find my way back down memory lane,
lex
maybe i am a bit biased since my family unit resembles a small village rather than the modular status quo. if necessary, we could field two baseball teams - with pinch hitters and plenty of relief in the bullpens - while sporting enough body hair to make steinbrenner cringe (gotta love those italian genes, right?). i'll admit that there was a time when i didn't quite value the network i had, a few years where i made the lives of those around me less than savory. i can still replay the most memorable exchanges in my head, down to the very last snide comment and empty threat. it all sounded totally relevant and badass at the time but, in retrospect, the underbelly is exposed - an angry little girl oblivious to the treasure she'd been afforded. alexis shmexis: grade-a chump.
despite living away at college for four years, i never did experience that all-by-my-onesies feeling because that safety net of kin was a mere 100 miles away. when things got too intense or boring at home, i just hopped in the civvy (r.i.p., old blue) and hauled ass down 84 and, conversely, free laundry and food devoid of laxative could be found in the other direction. without getting all dickensian on y'all, it was the best of times, but once again i didn't realize it until long after i donned my cap and gown and reluctantly joined the real world. i never though i would remain in the boston area long after college but the chain of events leading up to my departure still kind of makes my head spin. one day, i'm temping at mass eye and ear and looking for a job which wouldn't brand me a sellout and the next, i'm driving a moving van at excessive speeds towards middle america - chicago, to be precise. why, people asked? why not, i replied. in my then 22 years, i'd never been the type that required handholding and coddling..might as well keep that streak alive. what i didn't anticipate, however, was just how thin the security blanket i'd downplayed for years would be stretched. basically, the threadbaredness of it fucking sucks sometimes.
they say distance makes the heart grow fonder. while i'm convinced that "they" is hallmark, i'll bob my head in agreement when those words play out like the events of this past weekend: getting the rare opportunity to see my entire family together in one room to celebrate a milestone in one of our lives. true, the cost of the plane ticket set me back a tad but it was well worth helping my favorite uncle ring in his 60th birthday. also, seeing my not yet two-year-old cousin flash the entire ballroom her huggies or my not yet thirty-year-old cousin shatter a glass while doing the white girl dance (jazz hands up and screaming "wooooooooooOOOOO!") was the icing on the proverbial cake; they had cannolis, durr.
..leaving a trail of breadcrumbs so i can find my way back down memory lane,
lex