What happens when you're on a roadtrip? Your right brain actually creates stronger connections! You have laughter, and lots of
fantastic photos, right? Occasionally you come across great food that you will even leave a review on yelp or google haha.
What also happens though? Anyone want to take a guess?
Well stress, if you are traveling with friends, it's the usual bickering, and if you are with family then it's stress as well. It's no sleep-ins (well this case because I just got back from a 14 hour drive with my immediate fam to see my sister graduate with a bachelors over in Duke Uni), it's losing all sense of formality because your inner 3 year old jumps out and the lens in viewing the world (in my case) IS "me, me, ME". It's when I missed the home-cooked meals I cook for myself daily, it's the shoulder press machines, and my queen sized mattress I utterly missed most.
This roadtrip was rough. I was fickling out on my sister (even though she had uniquely graduated with distinctions) and I thought I was able to practice avoidance by coming up with a confident decision in this trip. And don't get me wrong I did feel bad that I was going between two thoughts of pendulums. And I am still (always) proud of my sister (one of her graduation[of the two total commencement days] had like cross religions type style sermon preached) which I slept through it most of the time), for graduating cuz mainly I can show my #proudmama appreciation of their accomplishments, I just had a particularly unique situation with my parents that just compounded the average predicaments that although Dave Ramsey said it best, it's just really flipping difficult to manage around. And my investigator for the car accident had been contacting me on the roadtrip back today and even weeks before.
The dynamic with my family is that there are three worry warts, can you guess who is the one left out (thank goodness~)- my mother. She rarely gets stressed out, it's impressive. Being that my sis got to escape the majority of the scene(s) because she was situated in the dorm (and really getting ready for the big day plus moving her things as me and fam are moving to another city) she was considered unscathed. And the thing with me and my dad is that we both take everything personally. What doesn't help things is that one of us is always either sleep deprived or really consumed from what's happening at work to focus on the present.
Moderate ado has passed let me just to a couple of case in point(s)-
God convicted me to honestly rise beyond myself, that just it.
During the moments where I could just was prodded from my parents I held back and didn't become this Smart-alec that I was constantly and consistently known for. I would just keep listening on my phone with earbuds in.
During the moments when my dad's anxiety levels were escalating to the max, (I swear he just has these travel moods) I would step-in in real time and do touch-interference with him (and honestly in a way that conveyed I wasn't slapping him; not that I ever slap him)-this usually and mostly works for kids, but when the context calls for it..why not? It worked too just in case you were wondering.
If either of my parents were seeing things from "an irrational" perspective- that would be the time when I would then chime in and say this phrase in Mandarin Chinese, which just translated as "can you really just please take a step back for a sec?"
If I get severely tempted, I just disengaged with them for several moments, they may or may not have perceived this as annoying but honestly it is what it is.
On the way back today, I was manipulated for a dinner option ( that I did not prefer at all) this is what happened-
"Alison, we want you to eat at this restau. that way we get home faster"
"I'm gonna choose to eat at Ikea okay?? Besides this *insert fam members name alluded to this and said this aloud" here's gas $'"
"okay, we do that"
____**1.5 hr l8r**___________
"well how about we at this restau.; both of us rly rly rly rly insist, plus this restau. are our customers~"
*silent my end*
______10 min l8____
"no, let's just do ikea, remember?"
"oh yea yea"
"Alison, we need to do that restau-"
"No, I say no" I firmly said " we should not do that"
"Fine"
_____________5.5 hour time units sincerely roll over_____________________________
one fam member asks "Alison, when does ikea close?"
after some exchange of dialogue I tell them, "you know what let's just do that customer's restau.; their take-out boxes are also not enough for party of three anyway"
The other fam member yoohoos and then heads to that moment, me being slighted, just persists and makes it a priority to keep my earbuds in
Meanwhile fastfwd some more...
We get the food from the restau. then we make our way home-30 mins shy
"Alison's a leader" my family member had declared
Fast fwd again-
We arrive home. The two had just only were focused on the food, me, being kinda reasonable just diligently and gingerly took stock of the arsenal (i kid , I mean luggage) and start unloading everything out from the car (besides my sister's belongings which were to remain in the car for personal reasons). The two first put the food and their fam munched out snacks, come back out of the garage, take notice of what I'm doing, and start to do the same. We end eventually.
Home sweet home baby~
As we are in the homebase my family member once again exclaims "Alison is a leader, good for us all" (in Mandarin Chinese)
Boy that is somewhat flattering to hear but truly relieving to hear honest to God.
Good night everyone~ --> A.L.
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