As We Digress: The Day Karma Wasn't Around

So, it's the holidays, right? One would normally be in a rather good mood. And when there's a lot of traffic you're being abnormally quiet, and pleasant, letting through everyone who wants to cut the line and go in front of you without even signaling, being the one to stop all the cars behind you in order for a small car to pass out of this tiny street that no one pays attention to, you know, all the nice things one could do on the road. One of the things that I dislike is the people staring at you when you're at a traffic light. Usually, I have my eyes fixed on the traffic light, or rummaging quickly for something in that huge bag that I carry around for university, or fixing my hair if the time allows it, sneaking a quick look in the mirror, you know you're like in a confined room of yours that has windows and a wheel, and usually when you're in your room you'd hate it if someone is peaking at what you're doing. I mean yes, the windows are tempting, but the only way they're going to look at you, or me for that matter, is "what the hell is this weirdo doing?", or "how typical of a girl to fix herself while she waits on the light", but I'd be thinking "what the f*** are you looking at?" or "do you mind?".

Any way, that day Karma so wasn't around. My niceties went completely unnoticed, and one of those big trucks, that I still don't understand whose existence in residential areas, hit my front right wing, and had I not honked like a maniac (and may have made an infamous hand gesture that I hope went unnoticed), according to the truck driver, he wouldn't have known he hit me.

Karma, are you serious?

So any way, I get out of the car, half pissed half scared (for no reason obviously, it was nothing a quick paint job can't fix) and I go: "you're kidding!" and he was like "it's okay, you wanna call the police?" and he started acting like I'm the stupid lost girl, and he's the one who knows how it all goes. And I let him call the traffic people and they came, the engineer/policeman asked me what happened, and asked Mr. Truck Driver what happened, and took pictures of the hit part of my car, and Mr. Truck Driver's unaffected vehicle, then Mr. Truck Driver and I signed the papers, and it would've been done there and then. But no, Karma wasn't there to save the day. Mr. Truck Driver was obviously unhappy with the fact that the whole accident was his stupid fault. Of course not, if a man and a woman get in a car accident, it's the woman's fault, and that goes without saying.

Too bad Mr. Truck Driver felt that way. Because he decided to call a full-on investigation of the matter, pissed off the engineer/policeman and had to drag me down to the police station for two meaningless hours, only to drop the whole matter because then he'd have to take it to court. And that's a lot of money he can't effing afford. My day was ruined. Mostly. But I moved on.

But Karma, we need to have a talk, as this isn't the first time you let me down like that.

Things That Happen at Your Cousin's Engagement Party

1. You kiss hello every single person in the family, both immediate and extended.
2. Your seating arrangements aren't taken care of, you're family, sit wherever you want!
3. You speculate whether or not a certain cousin got liposuction.
4. You pretend to like what the couple's wearing, his suit, her dress, when they're really just normal, and perhaps something your taste doesn't quite grasp.
5. You almost run over a kid playing and running between your legs, only to discover that this one's the second cousin you never knew you had. Which makes one wonder, why on earth is there a kid at a formal party?
6. Your mother discusses boys with you.
7. Your mother discusses girls with you.
8. Your mother cracks jokes and gets sleepy.
9. You run into someone who had a crush on you when you were a teen and your eyes search for someone who knows the story from before just to laugh.
10. You run into an entire crew of flight attendants, pilots and their co's, who all happen to be extra hot.
11. You indulge in the food a little too much.
12. Your mother asks you if you like some girl's dress in front of others, which pressures your judgment; it comes out rather benign.
13. They bring in a percussionist to accompany the already-bad music (alright, maybe it's not bad music, it's just music that you do not appreciate whatsoever). The percussionist makes it all-the-worse by off-beat drumming, and meaningless bangs that make him look like he's thrashing, not drumming.
14. You run into a ton of people you knew from years and years ago, you all mostly went to the same high school, were taught by the same teachers, sat at the same desks, and thus you have innuendos that an outsider will never ever get.
15. You see one of the kids you went to high school with. These are nice encounters; running into someone who went to the same classes as you for at least 9 years and then seeing them again when college is almost over really is something. You engage in an exciting talk about what happened in college, and what's happening after college and plan to get together real soon. And even if it never happens, you still feel like it did because you both wanted to, you only got really busy.
16. You're showered with compliments because of your outfit, your smile, your hair, but hell, most of all, because you're awesome.
17. Your grandma falls asleep when the music's so loud that the glasses and utensils are shaking in their place.
18. 11 CM heels and cobblestone: BAD.

As We Digress: Family is Instinct

Here are some of the definitions I found on family:

* A father, a mother, their sons and daughters.
* A group of people related by blood, marriage, law or custom.
* A group of people who live together.
* A group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head.
* A group of persons of common ancestry.
* Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.

A family may or may not be set at one home, but had been once set in one home. Meaning, now you live with your family, tomorrow you don't. And this doesn't mean you're without family after that. Also meaning even if all of you are scattered all over the place you once, at least, lived together to the point it was painful. But now, sometimes, you feel so lonely, it's painful.

A family is a very energetic organism, it's a body with parts, a beating heart and a mighty mind. The more quirky a family is, the more interesting and the more exciting it is to be part of it. And by quirky here I do not mean dysfunctional to the point it makes one sick, by quirky I mean the way each member handles, introduces, behaves and carries out things, no matter how normal or strange they are. It's the way they are received by other members, the reactions thrown, or the lack of reactions for that matter.

There is nothing uglier than having a family's members cloned to the point of no-recognition. A family is like a firm, each has their thing, and each does their thing, and later the final product is ready when each member knows their duties and their rights; a more harmonious life there cannot be. Thus, when one kid sings, the other one dances, and the other one plays an instrument, and so on, the parents enjoy their kids' unity but also appreciate and encourage their individuality and the kids are thrilled because of the individuality they have and how they enjoy it under the collective name of the family. And that's the beauty of it. You are what you are, and you do what you do, you always have someone to tell you when you're screwing up and when you're doing a great job, you always have someone to help you out when you hit rock bottom, through sickness and health, they're always there, no matter where they are, or when things happen, they're there, for you, and only for you, no benefits, no hypocrisy, no underlying hatred, just pure, and absolute love. Whether you get a call at 3 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon, you love them the same and just be where you need to be. And how, when you start to mature, they do accept you the way you are, how you like and dislike things, how they respect some (if not most or all) of the things that you care for, believe in and want to achieve. And the way they are ready to support you when you most desperately need it.

It's sad how one only discovers the meaning of this when something bad happens, like one of the family members gets terribly sick... Everyone drops whatever is in their hands and runs to wherever the sick one is. The way they comfort each other, or the way they discuss things among each other, the way they divide what has to be done, each according to their ability, the jokes, and the inside jokes cracked to lighten the mood, the comments, the actions and reactions... And all of it happens naturally... Family is instinct. It's born with you, you're born with it, and you make it happen, and it's awesome. Until everyone's ready to move on when you'd just discovered how beautiful it is to have them around, to care and be cared for. Everyone has their thing now, but not under the collective name of the family, because now they've got their own families or jobs,... etc. and it breaks your heart how each and every member has found a purpose in life, while you're still behind, savoring the taste of wonderful family, and taking your time to figure out your job and other things... It's one of these bittersweet moments, where you know you've got your freedom (or almost have it) but still didn't quite figure out what you're going to do with it.

And with all the beauty and wonder of family, it is not a luxury. It is a right, a duty, and it's love and respect. And while many people think family is built on perfections and problem-free lives, I believe it is quite the opposite, a family is built on the imperfections that each one of us possesses, and it's built on the way we engineer our lives to work around these imperfections and make a long-lasting establishment of unconditional love.

On second thought... My perception of family written in these words doesn't cover all of my thoughts... But this, my friends, is family in a nutshell.