Hey all, I know I've missed a few posts. However, I have a good reason, I swear! It was partially caused by finals, which were ridiculous, but I pulled through okay. It was mostly caused by my car. My car is a 1992 Ford Explorer, and honestly she's a great vehicle. 22 years old and still starts every time, stops on a dime, and gets me where I need to go is my definition of a great vehicle apparently, but I digress.
Last week I decided to do an oil change on my vehicle, something I am no stranger to. So I picked up all the necessary parts and my buddy Ian was kind enough to offer his driveway so I could have a stable, level, legal place to preform said oil change. Everything went wonderfully until I realized I couldn't get the drain plug back in the drain. I suddenly remembered that a few years ago the drain plug had become so stripped that it needed to be drilled out of the oil pan, causing the drain to be significantly wider than Ford originally intended it to be. After hours of tweaking and trying with one solution or another, Ian and I finally decided to measure the hole and buy an appropriately sized bolt to go in the drain. This resulted in us cutting down a six inch long, 5/8th of an inch wide bolt to two inches long. It's ugly, but it works. Maybe I'll post a picture for you folks one day.
On to the main content of this post. I have a weird definition of family, which may upset some folks, but I want to talk about it. I don't view family as being related by blood, although that can definitely play a role in family it is not the sole deciding factor. People you're related to by blood, but who are not family, are called relatives in my world.
Family is the people that make you feel like you belong. They love you despite of and partially because of your strange quirks and flaws. They are always willing to talk to you and figure out exactly what you meant by that odd comment or possibly racist remark because they know you're a good person and want to make sure you know that you sounded like an idiot or racist. Their honest, and kind, and loving. They watch out for you and are always there for you, no matter what happens. They will never judge you too harshly, but will always be vocal about their opinions of what you're doing while making sure you feel safe and loved. Our families are our first and harshest critics, but they are harsh out of love and a desire to see us grow. They resist the urge to be passive aggressive, because that will only cause pain.
Relatives don't do any of these things, or they may do some of these things but not all. Relatives are people you're related to by blood, but for one reason or another, don't know very well. I will lay down my life, my well being, and my soul for my family, I will only help relatives within reason.
Long story short, I love my family. I even like to majority of my relatives. That said, if you're not family but a relative, don't expect too much from me. I try to give all of my relatives a chance to become family, and if you've burnt that bridge it's hard to get back. It's not that I don't like you, or that I think you're a bad person, it's that you're not family.
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