Hi everybody, welcome back to The Everything Blog. My name is Cole Bennett. Let’s get started.
I know it’s a little early. It’s literally only Halloween. But I wanted to talk about family and the holidays, and why they can be stressful and exciting at the same time. Every family dynamic is different, and everybody has different experiences with it, so I’ll talk about mine. Because that’s pretty much all I know.
When the holidays come around, family comes into town and visits. It’s always super stressful: where they’re staying, entertaining them, all the different dynamics. You don’t see these family members all but once a year, and while you’re happy to see them and it’s great that they come down, it is stressful. I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way. I can’t be.
It is just difficult to manage so many different personalities around a very hectic time of year, and it gets overbearing at times, at least for me and my family. There are times we do get on each other’s nerves. That happens.
And then there are times when you are sitting back, looking around a room, and you’re wondering: how many more of these do I have left with these people? Some of them older, some of them younger. There’s kids running around. It gets hectic, but you don’t know when that’s the last time.
So all in all, my take on the holidays is: while it’s stressful, while it can be chaotic, and even while you’re looking forward to the day to end when you’re with them, you have to cherish it a little. Because you never know when that last holiday with someone is going to be. Doesn’t matter how old they are. You hear all these stories about people losing their lives younger than they should.
And the holidays are the time to reflect back and look at the overall picture of your family. And while it’s not perfect, because mine is definitely not, it is meaningful, and it does mean something. Because in the end, that’s all you have. Family is all we have in this life. You’re only one or two generations away from being forgotten, so you have got to cherish the people who you are with.
And while you’re reading this, if you’re sitting back thinking, “Well, you don’t know my family,” trust me, I get it. My family is about as type A personality as it gets. There is constant butting heads, even when we’re only seeing each other for about two minutes. So I know. I get it. I understand.
But in the end, when I’m sitting back and just watching the room, watching everybody converse and smile and laugh, I sit back and I think: this is what it’s all about. It is not easy. You don’t get to pick your family, so you’re stuck with these people. But it’s all you have. And in the end, it’s all that’s going to matter when your time is up. You’re going to look back at the memories of being with your family around the holidays.
So I know this is early. It’s only Halloween. We still have all of November, all of December. But it’s just something to think about before it all goes down. Because people will start coming in town in about three weeks for Thanksgiving, and whether they come around for Christmas, you know, it gets hectic for people. A lot of people travel. Family comes in.
And you know, just sit back and reflect and think: it could be a lot worse. This is my family. They are here. We do love each other. It’s not always easy, but in the end, it’s what matters.
So I hope you got some enjoyment out of this. If your family is anything like mine, you’ll understand this. Even the best of families clash, and holidays are stressful enough.
We will definitely be talking soon. This is Cole Bennett, signing off. And be kind to your family, folks. We’ll talk next time.