Human nature never ceases to amaze me. Invisibility has an upside from a research perspective. Witnessing some of the things in my past would make millennials cry.  I didn’t worry about the dreaded Freeze after my first few months here.  Seattle is one of the greatest choices I’ve ever made and I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.  By the end of spring I fit in with most of the natives.  It’s ironic I didn’t encounter The Freeze until August.  Reaching maturity is a tricky thing.  We all get there at different times, in different ways.   

I believe my sisters and I are each mature people at this point, despite radically different life choices.  We all got here on our own paths.  That doesn’t diminish any of our accomplishments as much as highlight the features.  My older sister reached maturity in one of the more conventional ways – via childbirth.  Based on what I’ve seen, maturity is not a prerequisite for parenthood but that is often the first time people realize there is something more important than themselves in this world. In this case, my sister found a fulfillment in nurturing her brood that makes her the kind of mom you want to hate for being so perfect.

Stress in high school gave her stomach ulcers but a hectic family life mellows her out.  Perhaps it’s related to the controlling aspect we all share but I won’t fault anyone for keeping control of their life.  My younger sister is mature because she is kind.  She is able to forgive nearly any sin in the face of being nice.  It makes her the most personable human in the world and that alone reflects maturity.  For all my pacifism, there’s no warmth in my demeanor.  I’m shunned by most people because I can’t keep my damn mouth shut.  The only thing I can really do is keep not feeling guilty for other people’s unhappiness.  I have plenty of my own to feed bad about.