Turning 35, or Starting the Back 9

[NhlNut]

Happy B-Day KT. Glad to share it with a Lounger.

I'm 38 today. Genetically, I should probably live to 90+. In reality, I'll be lucky to make it to 60. Unhealthy lifestyle ftl.

I don't have any real wisdom to share. But, I will share on the idea of family as that seems to be getting a lot of attention in the thread.

I grew up in a particularly chilly house. Mom, Dad, and 2 older brothers. Parents stayed together for the sake of the children. My leaving was the end of the nuclear family. Divorce and relocation left us scattered around the country.
By the time I left for college, I wasn't particularly attached to anyone in my family.

A decade later I was dealing with psych issues (depression) and had the opportunity to revisit these relationships. My problems had been exposed for all to see. I was coming to them with an open book. Here I am, do you want to know the real me?
What I found was that my family were real with me in return. I got to know them as the people they are now. (Except one brother who has married and seems to have joined his in-laws family)
Being able to accept them for who they are has led to a real closeness (or being at peace with the lack of it). They are fundamentally good people, who have their own flaws, wishes, and desires. Just as I have mine. My willingness to be honest and accepting has led them to be so with me.

I find that acceptance is the key to my happiness.
To me, stress, anger, resentment, jealousy, etc. are the result of not accepting reality. Of other people and the world at large.
But acceptance doesn't mean that everything is OK, or that I am subject to the worlds whim. I just need to start at reality.

ps-
Favorite saying: In the long run, we're all dead. JM Keynes

pss -
how long does it take other people to write long posts? this seemed to take forever. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]