Best Thing My Family Ever Did For Me.

Easily the best thing my family ever did for me was tease the crap out of me.  Sitting here, I can think of at least five different running family jokes that are directly related to something stupid that I said or did at some point.  On in particular is a joke based around something that I’m pretty sure I never actually said, but that my father said in jest, teasing me.  Somehow, the legend of it has been twisted so that people believe that I said it.

I hate being late, so right after we moved, I was understandably anxious about going to work for the first time from the new address. My brother and I were working the same shift at the movie theatre that day, so I was ready to go when I wanted to leave, and was eagerly encouraging him to do the same.  It got to the point where I was dressed, Polo, slacks, and extremely annoying shoes, and literally following my brother from room to room like the most annoying creature I can become.  What I believe I said was “If we don’t leave by 5:05, we’re going to be late.”  What my father hear and repeated was, “If we don’t leave right now, there’s no point in even going.”

To this day, if I even so much as suggest that we start getting ready to go somewhere, I am inevitably met with “Because if we don’t leave at exactly time one minute after the current time, there is no point in  even going” along with a nudge or a half smile in my direction.  Five years later, and there is still a joke about something I never actually said.

But it doesn’t bother me.  In fact, I think it’s kind of funny.  That’s why it’s the best think my family ever did for me.  I’ve been embarrassed for most of my life.  It’s basically my default setting at this point.  There is very little that can be done to me or around me that makes me uncomfortably embarrassed.  It’s absolutely wonderful, and a trait that I believe will help me later in life.

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