Wishful Thinking

It looks like The Girl may be visiting my Mom for Xmas (they live in the same state, about 100 miles apart).  Which is very cool. My cousin J, who I haven't seen in, well, a long time (since we were both preteens?) who I reconnected with on Facebook about a year ago let me know tonight that she's planning a trip to visit her Mom (who lives in the same city that my mom lives in) in a couple of weeks and now I'm feeling a little sad that I can't make the trip because it would be sortve a mini family reunion of sorts and it would be really nice for our Moms, I think, to have us all together (my Mom is getting to "that age"... when you're never sure if this will be the last time you'll get to see each other... our last phone conversation, in fact, was about arrangements for her passing - not that we think it's going to happen soon, but she just had a birthday and she's got it on her mind).

It's times like these that make me upset that I am the age that I am and I can't just say "you know, I'm going to book a plane ticket, because my family is important to me).  I would have to go to a coffeeshop to be able to connect to the internet (bless her heart, my mom still has DIAL UP internet... yes, it still exists!) but I think it'd be a nice respite for The Girl (she likes my Mom but when you're 18, someone who is in their late 70's can sortve get on your last nerve after a while)

I get to wondering if I will EVER get to a point where I will have a good, solid, stable job with things like vacation time and benefits.  It's been about a decade since I last had benefits at work. (I could have had health insurance at my last job but it would have been, no joke, HALF OF MY SALARY every month).

So, I am sure that at some point over the holidays, there will be some sadness for me that I can't go and see my family (though I would feel really bad for leaving Mr. POSSLQ, but I know he a) has no vacation time and b) could not stand to be stuck with all of my relatives (all female).  Especially since he is persona non grata to The Girl (LONG STORY... totally not his fault).

So, to all y'all who feel you are "Stuck" with family over the holidays, try to make the best of it... some of us would love to have the opportunity to be "stuck"with our families.