How Did I Get Here?

Quote of the Day: “The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.”

My mom got into town today. She flew ExpressJet which, for those that don’t know, is a little commuter airline that flies straight from Oklahoma to San Diego nonstop. It costs less than the big airlines, avoids the big terminals by using the commuter terminals, and pretty much treats my mom like a start traveling on a Lear jet.

And most of the time they don’t crash.

It was good to see Mom. She wanted to come see me before I left to Saudi Arabia and as an added bonus, she will be here for Mother’s Day.

So as part of her gift, my brother and I chipped in for the plane ticket which I thought was pretty cool of Chris, seeing how he won’t even be here but agreed to pay half anyway. Hell, it was HIS idea!

Carrie picked her up from the airport and then they did some shopping. I was bogged down at work so I had to wait until I got home to see her.

I am very lucky because my mom and my wife have a relationship pretty close to mother and daughter. The respect and love flows both ways so when she comes to visit, there is absolutely no stress, conflict, or drama. They get along like mother and daughter.

Similarly, I get along with my mother-in-law the same way. Unlike the stereotype, I do not get annoyed or dread visits with her. In fact, I sometimes call her just to see what she is doing.

After all, she raised the woman that I love and they are so much alike, how could I NOT love her to pieces?

But don’t get me wrong, there is drama in the family and I got to hear all about it. Nothing heinous but just your typical drama about skeletons in the closet and petty grudges. My mom had never really told me the details before and I guess it’s easy to pretend they don’t exist but faced with the realities that exist in all families, I shouldn’t be all that surprised.

Obviously this is not the forum to speak of the details so suffice it to say that we have a loving family but are not exempt from some of the drama that exists in all large families.

And I don’t say the following to claim I’m any better than them but compared to some of the family drama, Carrie and I lead a boring-assed life. Our relationships are pretty stable and in my humble opinion, we have raised two wonderfully adjusted kids who KNOW they are loved.

Recently my daughter asked me how my parents grew up and I told her the truth, not only because she should know but also to show her how good her life has been so far. It is important that she realize that and not everyone has a family life like the one we’ve created here at the Grose household.

Free Advice for Today: “Read Tom Peter’s The Pursuit of WOW! (Vantage, 1994).”