Should We Spend More Time With Family?
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
Most families have their fair share of drama. Regardless of this, there is a measure of time spent with family that is therapeutic. Why am I saying this? From 2019 to 2020, I could not travel home to be with my family. The pandemic was a major factor in this. I lived in a city where the lockdowns were strict for good reason. So I could not spend time with relatives, colleagues, or friends living in my city. I hardly had enough time with my boyfriend, too.
At first, I thought I would cope by being busy. There were no issues with that before the pandemic. I felt by modifying my schedule to suit the restrictions, I would get by. Nope, that didn’t help. The greatest challenge of all was the lack of worthwhile human contact. Not being sure how long I would get by with Zoom calls, WhatsApp calls, and FaceTime, I stayed hopeful. Then, I developed insomnia. I wasn’t sure why, but realized it when I saw the bags under my eyes.
At some point, I considered signing up for door-to-door grocery delivery. In my mind, this would vary my schedule and I would see more people. I, however, did not meet the grocery delivery companies’ requirements. Somewhere in the middle of this, I received a grave message from home. Dad had passed.
One thing was obvious; I needed to go home. Typically, I should have been excited. Nope, not while processing the implications of the news I’d just received. I had to deal with the anxiety and that of flying during the pandemic. In short, my emotions were mixed. Delaying the trip didn’t help matters. At some point, I realized this and got on the plane.
I have been with family now for a month. My family are my mum, siblings, their spouses, and their kids. It’s been awkward, frustrating, suspicious, joyful, humorous, and fun. We have cried, laughed, teased, bickered, fought, and hugged. At the very least, the bags under my eyes and the anxiety have disappeared. The trip’s been totally worth it.
“My dear young cousin, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, it’s that you can’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.” ― Rick Riordan
