No Pretend Siblings Needed

While I was driving to work on Monday I realized that it was the first time since Thursday morning that I had been alone.

Some of us might grow up in households with lots of noise and laughter and action. And although those years in my life are a long (long, long) time ago, the house I grew up in was quiet. No siblings to blame anything on. Only myself for company. Lonely was not a word I knew, I always had me.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that I like quiet best. I am used to it. Quiet gives me time to ponder, to dream, to create, and to make up a story.

No Pretend Siblings Needed

And yet, I have always been fascinated by large families. I believe that I went through a stage when I created some pretend siblings in my mind. If I remember correctly it was common for me to even boss them around, and after some time they just didn’t come back! 

I have been known to ask my friends who come from big families questions such as ‘do you have a favourite sibling?’, ‘was he always the black sheep?’, ‘did you think that she’d really join the circus?’ Okay, maybe I haven't used the last one!

So while I was sitting in the now quite usual traffic back-up on 14 St on Monday, I had a chance to untangle all the interactions which had happened in the last few days. To see the richness of the conversations, the predictable jokes, the moving waves of discussions, the touching of someone's hair, the familiar laugh across the room. The feeling of family.

As the red light changed and each lane of traffic moved to allow the flow, I thought of all that had happened since Thursday. 

I saw the wonder of each moving piece. How and when each supported the other, perhaps even anticipated it. And then how each one had the ability to move back into their own life. Ah, that is family.

The moving pieces of family, Thursday to Monday. (Tweet This)

Spending time together, no need for pretend siblings. (Tweet this)