Yes, I'm Still Here!

Hey everybody! Sorry for not updating in a while, but you were warned! ;-) Whew, the holidays have been crazy (and they aren't over yet--there's another post-Christmas family gathering tomorrow, but then that should be it). I'm doing well, though--just being my usual introspective self. :-)

Honestly, though, Christmas was good, and that's not just because I got a digital camera (:-D). I got to meet my sister's boyfriend and my cousin's fiance (and I approve of both--I'm especially relieved that my sister seems to have finally obtained proper taste in men--and yes, I know she'd kill me for saying that). Plus, my niece is almost two, and she's a firecracker if I've ever seen one. I don't know how her parents keep up with her. I was worn out after less than an hour of watching her play (and by watching, I mean making sure she didn't get her hands on any risky items, of which there seems to be a lot in my house, or at least my sister-in-law says).

One thing I can say I did not enjoy about the holiday--and of course it's all in my head (what would you expect? ;-) is how the idea of Christmas seems to dwell in the future. Okay, that probably didn't make much sense. It's really not a bad thing, really. Actually, it's a really good thing, but it makes one such as myself uncomfortable at times.

I guess when you're surrounded by a baby, a recently engaged couple, and a couple that are newly in love and just might one day be engaged, and then married, and then have children, you kind of feel an implied pressure that that type of future is on your shoulders, too. I mean, for most it's not really pressure. It's life. We're meant to start families, pure and simple. And those families get together at Christmas, and you can see the newness of it all and the future prospects of the lovebirds. And it's all sweet and lovely, but sometimes it makes the lone singleton uncomfortable.

But of course no one's viewing me as a singleton. According to them, I'm just a handsome, good-hearted young man who my grandmother bets "the girls never leave alone." Heh heh. (By the way, it's been two weeks and still I haven't had any awkward comments like that from my parents. That might mean something.) So, of course I'm expected to one day have a wife and kids and join in the Christmas festivities with my own little family.

But what if that doesn't happen? Where do single people fit into society? Where do they fit into Christmas? I mean, can't one be happy without ever getting married, without ever having kids, or is that simply not acceptable? If you're ever the bachelor (or bachelorette) does your life not amount to as much? It's something to ponder, and I guess I shouldn't worry about it. But you know me, I'm introspective, and I worry about the future, and I wonder where my life is headed. And I guess I just don't want to be the only one not paired off in the room again.

Sorry if that was a downer. I have a way of doing that. :-) Have a safe and happy New Year everybody. Here comes lucky number 2007!