I was thinking about my family today, dangerous territory, I know, and I came to a rather startling conclusion: we’re just strangers who share the same DNA. Exactly that. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s funny how long it can take to admit something that’s been sitting in plain sight. You keep hoping one day the conversations will flow, the understanding will click, and the love will feel genuine, not forced, not rehearsed. But some people are more interested in being right than being real.
I used to bend myself into all sorts of shapes trying to make things work. I’d explain, over-explain, apologize, and even take the blame for things I didn’t do, all in the name of “keeping the peace.” But you know what? Peace built on silence and fear isn’t peace at all. It’s exhaustion with a polite smile.
There’s a moment when the penny drops, when you finally see that you don’t owe anyone your energy just because you share their last name. Family, after all, isn’t a guarantee of goodness. Sometimes it’s just the first group of people you learn boundaries with.
And here’s the kicker: once you stop chasing their approval, they act like you’ve changed. No, you just stopped playing the part they wrote for you. You stepped out of the family play, took off the costume, and started writing your own script.
These days, I find more comfort in a quiet cup of tea with Heff than in a room full of relatives talking over each other. The dog listens. The humans don’t.
So here’s to the chosen ones, the friends who became family, the neighbors who notice when you’re off, the kind strangers who hold space without judgment. Blood might run through the veins, but connection runs through the heart, and that’s the real lifeline.
Granny Frass chimes in:
“Ah, shur, pet, I could’ve told you that years ago. Half the family couldn’t find their own hearts with a map and a torch! You’re better off building your own tribe, and make sure they bring biscuits. Life’s too short for false faces and dry tea.”
Mae 🧡
UNDER THE WILL... OVER THE DRAMA... 
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