The party was amazing. What�s so cool about these kinds of parties is it really brings people together. I have photo albums that show a few of these family members together, and it�s such an unbelievable...site. Like, Grandma and Grandpa (on my mom�s side), aren�t usually seen with Nona and Papa (on my dad�s side). Nona and Papa, in fact, are usually seen in Florida, so many states away, or on a cruise ship. And they�re always surrounded by family members. With Grandma and Grandpa, I�m usually alone with one of them, working, and I see them much more. Now, when the two go together, I can�t even comprehend it.
Well, I can. A little bit.
But there are so many other people who just don�t go together. Like my aunt Pegi. She was the one who had the car that caught everybody�s eye, the Solstice. Aunt Pegi, it seems, doesn�t seem to go with anybody, for some reason. So seeing her, with, say, my uncle Jim...it�s a weird thing. I haven�t even seen those two together in a photo album...it�s that weird. Now, as a reader (you, there), you don�t really understand why it�s so weird to see all of these people together. And I can�t even begin to describe my family members.
But I love my family, it�s pretty huge, and I was so happy to see each and every one of them at my graduation open house.
Nona and Papa stayed with my family, and in my room for these past five days. They came on a Friday, and I was out of the house, seeing the friends I hadn�t seen for a whole week (they were still in school). And I didn�t go home until much later that night. Not too late, but late enough. And first nights with family are always weird to me...I�ll never understand why. My theory is that we don�t see each other enough and whenever I do see them, it�s like meeting new people.
But this trip of theirs, Nona and Papa�s, I mean, was one of the best, and certainly a memorable time. Staying in my room, I was able to talk to them each night before they went to sleep. And a funny thing with Papa is, whenever I talk to him, I feel like a kid again. The funny part about that is that he doesn�t really talk down to me. And with everything he says, he always has something intelligent to say, and it�s as if he is teaching a lesson every time he opens his mouth. Now, he�s a teacher. He�s not a stinking school teacher that gives out homework, but he�s in a program that deals with people who abuse drugs and alcohol...in the worst ways.
I talked to him about this. When he first went to Florida, so many years ago...he wanted to just sit and enjoy retirement. He wanted to, maybe, watch the birds or something, do house chores, and just enjoy �the good life.� Well, after three or four weeks of this, he realized that he had done every possible chore that could be done around the house (this was his mother�s house before she died), and sitting and watching the birds was pretty boring. So...he went out to get a job. Since he was a lawyer, he thought he could use what he went to school to study to get a job, maybe becoming a paralegal. Well, it turns out that it is harder for an older man to get a job down in Florida. I found this quite interesting. Papa is certainly a very talented and wise man, but when it comes to getting a job, not even that could save him. But he did find a woman who knew something he could do.
Papa started working with women who had been abused. Of course, the abuse came from men who became violent when drinking alcohol and doing drugs. Working with these women, all of which were teens (it was a teen program), came after getting schooling on how to talk to these people. And after a while (weeks or months, I don�t know), people realized that Papa could be even more effective on the abusers. So he started working with male teens that had a history in drinking and beating up their girlfriends.
Much more than 90% of these teens...who were in Papa�s class...went on to never getting in trouble again. So Papa was telling me how accomplished it makes him feel and how he�s actually changing people�s lives...helping them. And teens are people you can learn a lot from. They�re so independent, even while being outgoing.
I�ve always thought of the human life as in these phases:
1st Phase-Too young to learn anything
2nd Phase-You enjoy kid things (such as the Mighty Morphin� Power Rangers)
3rd Phase-You deny ever liking kid things (such as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
4th Phase-You realize its okay to enjoy whatever you want (such as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
5th Phase-You can�t understand why your kids like such stupid things.
And there are more phases, but you get the idea.
But before this weekend, I hadn�t really talked to Nona and Papa in such a long time. And with them staying in my room (I almost didn�t want them to), I was able to talk every night. And it felt so good to sit on the edge of the bed, as I did years ago, and just listen to whatever Papa wanted to say.
He would tell me stories of how, when he was young, his mom would have to wake him up for school. And he would hate doing so, but one day his mom asked him if he had an alarm clock. He did. So she told him that he would have to set that alarm clock, because he would get in trouble if he didn�t make it to school. And his mom would never wake him up again. And she didn�t. Of course, this isn�t as far-fetched as many of Papa�s stories, but there are so many of his that I can�t tell if they�re even true. But somehow, there�s always really good morals. And I don�t know if that�s what he means to do when he tells stories, but I have learned to read between the lines of his tales...and inherit from them.
And of course, there�s Nona too. She could always tell some great story (such as how Hollywood has lost all of its glamour). They�re both really smart, and they�re both so...made for each other. I swear, every now and then, I would glance over to see them holding hands or holding each other somehow. They were pretty much like teens in love. And I went to their 50th anniversary (when they renewed their vows) a few years ago. After so many years, I guess you realize that you�re just going to be together forever. But how many years that is...I don�t know.
But it�s good to know monogamy runs in my family. My mom and dad are still together, too.
~~
Graduation itself was...well, I�ll be honest...I didn�t think much of it. My class and I stood out in the hallway for so long while we got organized, and then just waited...we waited until all our senior pictures showed in the auditorium. And the wait felt like forever. I didn�t really talk to the person next to me. I didn�t feel like I would miss any of the people who were around me. It was just, like... �This should have been done and over with a week ago.�
I don�t think anybody really wanted to be there. Well, I�m sure they did. Now it�s official...we�re graduated from high school. I have my diploma. I have my tassel in a case that Nona and Papa gave me. They also gave me a beanie baby (graduation-dressed). They gave me a little pocket book for graduates that show your sign (such as mine, Scorpio), and shows what they could be when they grow up. Generally, Scorpios are headed for the psychological field.
And the last thing I opened was the card...which had a check in it. For $500. Thank you, Nona and Papa.
~~
My life is so...clean. I feel so good. About myself, I feel good. About my future, I feel good. About my life, I feel so good. I have a new kitchen (a remodeled kitchen). The office I am in at this moment...is clean. It has never before been clean. My bathroom...and especially since Nona and Papa have moved out now...is cleaned and sparkly white. My living quarters down in the basement...well, I still have an air-mattress that is taking up a lot of room. That thing sure was comfortable this past weekend (a long weekend). And my bedroom...oh my God...it�s spotless! Okay, there�s one spot...where all of my clothes have seemed to pile up. But other than that...my dresser is dusted, there aren�t any cobwebs or anything (my room is a pretty friggin� nice room). The basement was built about 5 or 6 years ago, so it�s a newer bedroom...and now it feels new again.
I feel on top of the world. And I just graduated from high school. I�m on my own in the world....and ready to conquer anything in my way. Destination: Nobody knows.
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