I AM LOSING ALL OF MY HISTORICAL ROLES IN THE FAMILY GROUP

I have just realized that over the course of the last few short years, I am slowly losing my traditional roles within the family unit. I would call it an erosion of things that I had the lead on, for many, many years. This chipping away of roles has happened very quietly and gradually. I woke up with a start today and it dawned on me like sunrise of the mind. I had full clarity of what was happening, but didn’t quite know why. It is my opinion that I might, in fact, really seriously be losing it and I’m the only one that doesn’t see this deterioration. Or maybe I’m still lucid and they are just trying to usurp my family power. When this revelation struck me, it felt like a part of my soul had been snatched away. Let me explain what has happened.

Used to be that I was the number one chef of all things exotic in our home. I now realize that between son #2, my son-in-law and Deysi, I am very rarely invited to cook one of my signature dishes anymore.

At one time I was the family traveller and the source of knowledge of all things foreign. Now that role is falling more and more to daughter number 3 (from Victoria) with backup from her mother. They are now the travelling team. I am no longer included. Even now, I have a granddaughter that is embarking on a life of travel. Soon I will be forgotten.

I used to be the reader of books in this family, I read at least 1 book a week for many many years. Now it is daughter number 2 (Edmonton) and her little sister that do all the reading in the family. They are insatiable when it comes to devouring books. My range of books now seems like a line of kiddy books compared to the scope of topics that they read about.

I was also the family photographer and had amassed boxes of photos of the family and our travels. Now they are rarely seen unless I look at them myself. Deysi and her two girls now take most of the “interesting” photos in the family. My role has gone.

My place as family historian has also mostly evaporated. I used to be the old sage, reviling all with stories of the past, our travels and the funny things I could remember about each and everyone of them. I guess they did not think them so funny after all. My grandson is more and more taking over the role as family storyteller. I still have a claw hold until they rip this computer from my bleeding fingers. As long as I can keep my blog going, I still have one tiny piece of my past.

However, I am not yet done, I finally know what they have been doing to me. I expect that one day they are going to invite me for a ride and drop me off in a “nice home”. I will be back! My opinion is that I’m long from finished, watch out those of you who have launched this silent coup on me.