Four ‘F’s that define my life

Despite my single-girl (woman) status, I still feel that I have a sense of fulfillment, and sometimes small moments of happiness, in my life (hard to believe, but it’s true).

Most of my life’s best and fullest moments can be summed up into four things:

Family. Friends. Food. Feline(s).

Family

My family has absolutely defined me. I am, daily, becoming more and more like my mother. My older brother has been a constant in my life for good or bad (mostly good…although I don’t always let him know that); his wife has become the sister I never wanted (and I guess sort of needed). My father is the root of many of my “issues,” but is also one of the people that I am most scared to disappoint. For me, family is where I can be my worst because they have to forgive me. It’s sometimes hard to be completely honest with them, but it’s easier to let the ugly bits out and know that it will be okay.

Friends

Friends are a different beast. Friends are the people you pick. Although…for me…sometimes it feels like they picked me. I am often “out of sight out of mind,” so I don’t do well in maintaining and sustaining friendships. That means that the friends that I have are the special few who have put in the effort to keep me in their lives and not let me disappear into self-imposed exile. I have more than enough fingers to count my CLOSE friends and, as opposed to my family, they generally bring out the best in me. These are the people who lift me up and make me smile even when I couldn’t feel less like doing it.

Food

This actually ties into family because my love of food is absolutely genetic. I can and will never understand people who “Eat to live” as if food is nothing more than fuel to keep them going. What is wrong with you??? Food is LIFE. Food is comfort and excitement and satisfaction. Food transports you and invokes memories. I love eating food and talking about food and reading about food and watching people make food and watching people talk about making food. For my family, food is at the center of celebrations and stories – the kitchen truly is the heart of the house and most of my fondest memories from my childhood have something to do with food, the kitchen, or both.

Feline(s)

I put it right up front at the beginning – I am a crazy cat lady. When I was little (like…pre-school little), we were told to draw a picture of what we would get if we won the lottery: I drew a cat. My teacher felt the need to tell me that cats weren’t really all that expensive, so I had to explain to her that my dad was allergic, and he told me that if we won the lottery, I could get a cat (and a separate house for it to live in). In hindsight…this was blatant manipulation and lies from my father (he wasn’t going to buy his 6-year-old a house for her cat, lottery or no lottery). However, this was what I wanted more than anything. From the minute I held MY first kitten (Sammy-cat), I knew that I would never NOT have a cat again (sorry Daddy). I would have 10 cats (crazy cat lady, remember?) if it weren’t for the fact that my current fuzzy monster absolutely HATES other animals

And…if I’m being really honest…F*ck. Not the verb, just the word. I really do love to swear. It might be a problem.