I thought I was going to publish 2 posts in a day but time really flies/evaporates/vanishes - before I even realise it, 4 December has quietly turned into 5 December. Another day is over, but that also means that we're one day closer to Christmas <|:o)) Hohoho!
Anyway, just some (short) musings for the day.
Today's theme is "Life and Love".
Now that my sister is in a relationship (yay, congratulations), I've started to think about the role of romantic love in our lives. If being in love means that one's significant other half is constantly on one's mind and one yearns to meet him/her all the time, then I really wonder how this is able to fit in with the concept of family (love) and friendship (aka. friend love). I hesitate to use the word, "accomodate" because I disagree that family is the one which has to be accomodated - the right question should instead be concerned with how romantic love can be accomodated and have room made for it in one's life. Clearly, I'm a person who prioritises family and I'm determined that this fact will not change, whether I'm in a relationship or not, because some things are just non-negotiable.
I understand that people can get giddy with love, that love is passionate, that love is overwhelming and may often appear to be the best thing in the world (I really do, or at least I try) - but can't we all try and achieve a balance between that and family? (unfortunately, ordinary friends rank too low on the list to even be discussed here) With a bit more consideration for the feelings of others, I am pretty sure that such a balance is possible.
I hope I'm being rational here (and not just being the lil sister who's neglected and hence, whiny) but I think this is a topic worth thinking about. The relationship between one's romantic partner and one's family, when that balance is tipped towards the romantic partner (aka. when romantic love transforms into familial love) and when that happens, the difference in treatment warranted by the different types of familial love. Don't get started on me about how a married daughter is like water splashed out of the house (pardon the less-than-elegant translation) for I might very well dunk you in a pail of water and throw you out with the pail, but I do think that this is a question that everyone should answer. If the natural course of things (according to societal norms and standards) allows for people to get married and move out from their family homes to set up their own families elsewhere (regardless of whether one still visits his/her parents/siblings/aunts/whatnot), doesn't this necessarily imply that family has been 'demoted', as compared to the now-husband/wife? If so, is that really all there is to the notion of 'family'?
Alright- enough questions for the day. I'm still tired (despite my 3-hour nap earlier) from last night's sleepover where ironically, there was little sleep to go around. Lights out and wishing all a good night!
