forced family fun

Clare,

So we survived "forced family fun"...
I am glad that I attended, but was glad to leave.
I had a real sense of being an outsider...
which I thought would bother me a lot...
but it didn't.
I was in control...
I set the boundaries...
I chose to spend time with whomever I wanted to...
and it was fun.

I enjoyed your family...
Your son's children are sweet and their mom was very friendly.
It was good to see your youngest and her baby again.

I have to comment on the deja vu, all over again...I heard that on Friday night 'everyone' went through the house and signed a paper for the things they wanted from the parents' house...
were you there? I certainly wasn't...so I will receive nothing...

It is a strange thought that I may never go back to that town or house again.
OK that's got to end the negativity...back into positive attitude land.

The article about the evolution of the brain is fascinating.
It makes perfect sense, but is amazing that we acknowledge evolution, but don't see it happening to us.
I have come to believe that we can evolve the brain to connect with the higher processing centers in the prefrontal and frontal cortex and "evolve" to a higher level of consciousness. We are able to replace the fight or flight reactions to perceived threats with reasoning and processed information and decisions that flow from those.
Imagine what the world would be like if we didn't react the way that we saw our parents react to stress...or the way that we've learned to cope with stress and anxiety...It really would be the end of the "chain of anger"...and many other negative emotions and reactions.

So what were your observations? Did you learn any lessons from the day?

I am beat...we just sat through a double header in 90+ heat...I am going to get comfortable and just chill out.

Love and Light...
Maggie