Sunday, October 10, 2010

capable

And it turns out that the thing I find myself most grateful for this year is my sister-in-law, the beautiful Megan, who is almost, almost exactly between me and J in age. Old enough to be soooooo cool for J to shop for back-to-school-clothes with, young enough to understand my need for tattoo touch-ups and for me to sit exactly between her and her own mother, a bridge between Shawn and his stepmother. We can all provide a bridge, we can all provide a destination. Sometimes I am surprised, no, not just surprised, but completely and utterly taken aback by how much it turns out that I love people. If I had had this kind of upbringing I would have been a completely different person.





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(This is an addendum to what I said above that makes me less perfect the way I am, far less perfect. After we got home from Thanksgiving dinner I went for a walk alone in the rain and went to the corner store in the dark where I impulsively bought a package of Benson & Hedges cigarettes, the ones I liked when I was 22, and found a dark staircase by the coffee shop which was closed, and smoked alone in the night.

I had this lonely feeling that I recognized that went with the cigarettes and so I took the second cigarette to the air pump at the gas station where I sat with a small group of twentyish guys who invited me to a party. I said no, sensibly, to the party, but accepted their companionship and felt stupid about being in a place where I'd be invited to their party in the first place, and smoked the second cigarette down to nothing and walked back home in the rain.

I have no good reason when I act like this, none at all.)


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6 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I find it most dangerous to muse on how different I might have been had I been raised by parents who adored children and treasured me. But as for you, Missy, you are perfect just as you are.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am not Canadian so I don't have to kill anyone until November.

secret agent woman said...

I like to think that many of us are just fine in spite of lousy parenting. Even when we do inexplicable things.

(I didn't realize you were in Canada until you mentioned Thanksgiving.)

secret agent woman said...
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Jerry said...

I used to do that a lot when I was younger....sit alone or in a separate environment to just...be. I don't know if it accomplished anything or not, but sometimes I just had to...be. I think I can understand.

It's been said that kids grow up in spite of parents. But you never quite get away from the influence. Sometimes we just have to find a way to use this influence to somehow make us better.

I think I am being too somber. I need to lighten up. Tomorrow maybe.

Hugs my friend.

mischief said...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving you Americans. There is much for which I am very thankful.

glnroz said...

"that", i think, is the best reason...