Sassy's Up Late Again

So why do I believe I let people get away with bad behavior? Two reasons. First, I am far too emapthetic for my own good. It's too easy for me to see someone else's side, and often, I understand their motivations. I end up making excuses for them and rationalizing my way into letting myself get walked on. And second, it was my survival skill that I learned in my family dynamic. My mantra became, "Let it go." because I was powerless to change them and fighting them and standing up for myself would be fruitless, and would have ultimately driven me crazy.

I'm not saying my family is populated with bad people. But for some reason, our relationship is screwed up, and it makes us all behave in ways most people would not understand. Last weekend, as we prepared to leave his brother's house, Rusty stopped and hugged his brother and said, "I love you.", his brother responded in kind. The last time I hugged my brother was when he was 5. And that scene would probably only happen after the funeral of one of our parents. Now, I can't really expect to leap directly into "I love you, man!!" But damn, I didn't realize that expecting a phone call when you are returning to the same continent was beyond our reach.