Things Unsaid

You know the drive you have home after you've gone to visit family? The inevitable recap of the good, the crazy and the infuriating moments of the trip. Ritualistic therapy we all engage in, whether it lasts 15 minutes or 3 hours. A lot passes between spouses and siblings that you wouldn't dream of saying out loud to others and certainly not in mixed company. It's a relief, it makes us feel safe, it builds trust. After the venting we go on, no malice intended, no ill will meant.

The holidays are prime time for gathering together and letting many things go unsaid. Even I find myself tongue-tied in an effort to be polite. Perhaps it is an inevitable cycle that is we perpetuate through inertia of thought. Perhaps it's for the best.

I'm not proposing we go on a mass sharing bender this holiday season, offending your family left and right, but perhaps we could all be a little more adult. Stopping making excuses for those who are perfectly capable of being spoken to directly. Stop living in fear that saying what you truthfully feel out loud will cause the tides to flow in the opposite direction.

Maybe it's something uncomfortable, but maybe it's joyful.