Sell crazy someplace else...we are all stocked up here!

AH, one of my wonderful sorority sisters reminded me of this quote from the movie As Good As It Gets and it still makes me laugh out loud. Ok, so I am going to talk about a subject that might tick some of you off, but hey, I only exist in cyberspace, so the worst you can do is make bad comments to me ;)!

So I have been thinking a lot about families, friends, ex-boyfriends, ex-husbands, our background and experiences lately...must have been that high school reunion in July. And we are all who we are because of our life experiences, they say that the school of hard knocks is sometimes just as educational as college (just ask my dad). So, I grew up in suburbia land in middle America...what do my friends, the Counting Crows, say..Omaha, somewhere in middle America. And sure, we would all like to think that we were raised in the house with the white picket fence and June Cleaver at home baking pies. But I wasn't, and I am guessing that neither were most of you.

So here it is, no one had a perfect upbringing, we have all had tough times, people treated us bad, your parents were hard on you or you didn't get along with your brother/sister, blah, blah, blah. It sucks, but that's life. Hey, my mom yelled at me a lot for the first 7-8 years of my life..And now, yep, I am people pleaser because of it, I know it and so does my mom. AND? SO WHAT? I still think my mom is the best ever! And as one of my good friends likes to say, hey I ain't perfect, but I am here!

Ladies, seriously, here is my message to you, take care of your own issues! None of your friends or family wants to listen to you boo-whoo regularly about your life baggage. And no, I am not saying that your friends and family shouldn't to help you out in times of trouble (death, mental health issues, financial problems), but...for something that happened 20 years ago...might be time to let some of it go. If you have issues to deal with (and talking to a close friend or family member doesn't help), SEEK counseling. There is NO shame in that game.

Generally speaking, our parents do the the best they can, no one gave them a guidebook and sometimes they did great and sometimes not so much. And believe me, even those families that "seem" perfect aren't, everyone has some type of issue with their family. And if you are now a parent or are going to be...you understand or trust me, it will hit you like a 2 x 4 real soon (this is coming from someone whose only parenting skills have been practiced on a 15 year old, lazy, diabetic cat, who is QUITE mouthy and really only tolerates me because I feed her).

Now, I know I am being a bit harsh (you might call it the ugly truth) and there are many circumstances in life that require more than some counseling or owning up to your baggage. In fact, there are COUNTLESS people in this world that have had a substantially more difficult childhood than me or you (foster parents, drugs, abuse, physical disabilities, prolonged illness, homelessness, etc) and they are SUBSTANTIALLY better people than me. Why? Because they did not let their shortcomings and experiences (not matter how bad) steer them away from a fulfilling, successful life.

So ladies, please remember, that you will be remembered for the things that you did in your life, the people that you helped, the ones that you loved (and who loved you). Notice, I did not say, what you overcame...like when your dad was mean to you when you were 7.

So, don't worry, be happy and live the life that you want. And as we approach Thanksgiving, be thankful for your life. Cheers and CIAO BELLAS.