1st World Problems

 The universe has a funny way of doing things.  If you can't find humour in the way things happen, you are definitely making things harder on yourself.  I was born in a place that has never been economically prosperous. The land is hard and nearly impossible to farm, the province is even nicknamed "The Rock" because that is what it is. A rock tethered to the ocean floor in the north Atlantic. The ocean pounds against the cliffs and shores. The land is made up mostly of black rock with sharp edges and unforgiving faces.  Because the major industry of fishing has become mostly a thing of the past due to many countries' greed (including our own), the harvests from the ocean are not enough to support the residents of the province. Oil hasn't quite hit there yet. The infrastructure is in place to supply surrounding areas with hydropower, but no one can agree on how much or even how the province should be remunerated. Due to these reasons and more, most young people win...

It truly does take a village.  I grew up with my extended family. So many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Can't forget the grandparents. Because of this village, I was able to experience life in many different ways and I grew to appreciate the input that a community can have when it comes to raising good people.  Due to this upbringing, I knew no other way to raise my own kids. I am an only child, so my aunts, uncles, and cousins became theirs. As did my friends. My son somehow became a gear head. Apart from the most basic of car maintenance knowledge, I have no idea what he is talking about most days. Thankfully though he has my dad's older brother, the other gear head in the family.  Not long ago when we still had the '59 Ford, my uncle would just drop by to talk to my son and work on the truck together. One day they went on a drive together and ran out of gas. When I got the call that they needed help all I could hear in the background was my uncle's giggle and the delig...

The house my mom grew up in. My mom was 12 when her mother died. Besides my mom (who is the eldest) she also left seven other little girls and a nine-month-old baby boy, and my grandfather. My mom went from as normal a life as you could have with that many kids in the family in a very small town, to the main caretaker for the family. My uncle was sent to live with family members nearby and my grandfather had what equated to a mental breakdown. He still worked as he could, but everything else was left to my mom. Fast forward ten years and I come along.  I was raised by a single mom after my parents broke up when I was very young. I was the very definition of a latch-key kid. From the time I was in kindergarten forward, I got myself to and from school every day. That included all the personal grooming and homework. I don't remember a time when it wasn't clear to me that I needed to be an easy kid for my mom. She had enough to worry about. Not saying I was perfect. Far from it. Bu...