Osage

It's so easy to razz someone when you know nothing about who they are. I don't like traditional holidays, I haven't for some time now, but when Jeremy died, that was the breaking point for me. Not only does no one really know what most holidays are even about, but for 11 years I've had to fight with an ex over time with our daughter; he feels he should have her every holiday for the entire day without any contact with me, and now, let's be honest, I want my effin brother! That's all I want, that's all I ever want, all the time. When someone complains about something so completely irrelevant to real problems, all I want to say is 'well I want my brother back, life is what it is'.

You may think I'm trying to make a statement or what have you, but in reality, I'm usually alone on holidays, even if I'm with people. When you lose someone so incredibly close to you, your entire existence changes. Talking to my mom last night, she asked what my plans were and when I said nothing she said, well you can come up here but I won't be home most of the day. Um, hey thanks...?

Don't get me wrong, I do partake in the traditional holidays as almost everyone does, I just do it on my own time. Dinner was at my mom's last weekend, and this weekend is at my dad's. I want to be me, and not be forced into a position or crowd just to make it easier for everyone else. Even in high school, I "fought" against being herded into class rooms like cattle.

It's not about being difficult or breaking rules, it's just that I like to make my own path in life. And there is nothing wrong with that. You can be an individual without making a negative impact on the world.

I don't think stores that are open on Thanksgiving 'hate families', I think it's good for people who may not have families, who may be alone, who may not have plans and still want to feel like a normal person when they aren't partaking in what events most people are. Everyone comes from a different life, everyone has different circumstances surrounding them, and not everyone has the exact same thing going for them as the next.

So when you're sitting around the table, when you're teaching your kids, when you're being gluttonous, do you know why you get to do that? Do you know how you got to have the day off work and do you know what you're "thankful" for? Columbus stumbled upon North America because he was lost, and when he saw the Native Americans he called them Indians because he thought he was in India. Columbus wasn't looking for it, he was a man, who was lost, and took what wasn't his.