BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl


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Who Am I?

My colleague at work has found her birth family. 8a8f8826d98c426854f0caa18b8478c6--genealogy-quotes-family-trees.jpg

People are stunned at how quickly it has all happened, but as she says, quickly aside from the 45 years leading up to it.

It’s not all roses and sunshine. There are things she’s learning that are difficult. But there are things that are incredible, too. She’s already met some of her birth relatives in person. Ten days ago she didn’t know they existed. Remarkable.

Naturally all of this excitement makes me think about my own situation. Do I have birth relatives one state away? Are there pictures of people I’ve never met, as children, who look like my own child? Or me? Do I share a nose with someone, or a laugh, or a love of Cadbury mini-eggs? And could someone please explain about these ridiculous fingernails that bend? Whose fault is that?

I’ve been looking around at 23 and Me, trying to make sense of my DNA relatives. So far the closest link that’s shown up is a second cousin, and she seems to be a dead end. I’m thinking about Ancestry DNA next. That’s what my friend used.

Maybe after all this time someone out there in the big wide world is looking for me. Maybe they wouldn’t mind be found by me. Maybe they haven’t forgotten me. I don’t think they have. How could you?


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Never Will I Ever…

spring-cleaning.jpg

I’ve been doing some Spring Cleaning (yes, I think the capital letters are appropriate in this instance) and I’ve learned some things.

First, I learned that I’ve been harboring some items for far too long. Way beyond their useful lifespans. Why? I’m not a hoarder. Am I? No. Most definitely not. However… I do have “collections” of things that I really don’t need to collect. Some of it is purposeful, but some of it has crept up on me over the years. I really didn’t need to keep those stinky old sneakers and that sweater I loved as an undergrad.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I managed to purge my closet of six bags of items. It’s all shoes and clothing, and that makes me somewhat embarrassed, but I’ve gotten quite a few nice new items over the past year, and I feel really good in those clothes. As a result, I don’t wear some of the older items, and frankly some of them were really never quite “me” from the get-go. Six bags later, and I feel relieved. Less stuff. Less clutter. Less to fret over.

So that takes me to the concept of “never will I ever.” Here are some things I’ve decided fit in that category:

NEVER WILL I EVER

  1. Read all of the books that I’ve loaded onto my Kindle and loaded into my bookcases
  2. Sew up all the beautiful fabric that I’ve collected over the years
  3. Complete all the unfinished projects that are collected in bags and boxes
  4. Completely break the clutter habit
  5. Figure out the keys to maintaining healthy habits

My home feels better than it did. Lots of little projects have been accomplished over the past week, thanks to Spring Break, but there are so many others that haven’t even been touched.

Never will I ever run out of things to do, that much is for certain.


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South of the Border

download.jpgMy kid and his friends have gone on Spring Break south of the border. These college students have piled into a van and taken a road trip, something that millions of college students have done for generations. This time is different, though. This time it’s my kid.

He’s a good kid. Actually he’s a great kid. He has good friends, makes good decisions, and hasn’t gotten into any trouble in his life. Okay, so there was the writing on the table in first grade incident, but that was a long time ago, and he insists he was erasing what the other kid wrote. I kind of believe him. He works hard, studies hard, and keeps his nose clean. His friends, from what I can gather, are similar.

Last year these boys took a road trip to California for Spring Break. They camped in Malibu. I didn’t even know you could do that, but you can, and they did. This year they decided to go international, with a trip to Mexico. It didn’t take long to get there, they left this morning and he already checked in. Of course we went online to see the place where they’re staying. It looks nice. Steps from the beach.

I’m glad he has friends. I’m glad they’re going on adventures. I’m glad he’s in a lovely place. But, truth be told, I’ll be even more glad when he returns.