Every family has its stories. Uncle Bill is crazy. Aunt Sybil is a saint. We each try to figure out where we fit in the story of our family. Am I the responsible one, the smart one, the funny one? Do they appreciate me, love me, fear me, pity me? We define ourselves and our families by the stories we tell.
Sometimes I need to take a step back and see the stories for what they are. Just because I was raised on them, repeated them and lived by them, doesn't mean they are true. They are mythology. They do shape us but they can also be challenged.
I can make a new choice. I do not have to continue to feed my animosity and pain with these stories. I can change our story by seeing it from a new perspective. I can look at my family through a new lens. I can recast myself in the family drama by being present in the here and now.
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