I've Been Thinking...(oh, no)

And as some may have surmised from previous posts, I am without parents and basically any other family. Obviously, this is a topic of much sadness and many other feelings…but lately, I have been thinking of some of the benefits! Yes, benefits. It's sooooo easy for me to get bogged down with thoughts of the things I am missing, but there are a lot of other things I think I can be thankful for and I wanted to use the space here to jot them down:

1) Never had to "come out" to my family and thus had the benefit of never having my family disown, hate or ignore me. I never had to have that frightening conversation or hear about how I am a sinner, etc…

2) I am free from spending a ton of money on birthdays & holidays as I really only buy things for a few friends and am able to use $ to travel

3) Never have to worry about introducing my potential girlfriend to my parents

4) Never have to go visit when I don't want to or feel obligated to do so

5) Never have to face the possibility that my mother could still be a crazy, depressed alcoholic

6) Never have to worry about my parents aging and how will they be cared for, etc…

7) Never have to worry about my parents thinking I am not what I should have been in life or about any other judgements or opinions they may have about the way I live my life

8) Never have to worry about them commenting on my appearance or choice of jobs

9) Never have to worry about forgetting their anniversary

10) Never have to hear them complain about each other or their bodily ailments

Needless to say, some of the above may have never happened if they were still here….but the point is that I can embrace some of the stuff I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH and be thankful. Grief/Loss have been large chunks of my life and it's actually nice to think about the otherside for a bit.