Dec 1, 2009

Oh David Sedaris...


Have you ever read David Sedaris? I was reading his book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim over my Thanksgiving break, completely wrapped up in his story about visiting his sister and how her house was a mess, how she basically was going nowhere in life, and how sorry for her he felt (in a nutshell) when a thought occured to me.

What if everyone talked about their family like that?

Sure, our families bug the crap out of us. I just spent a Thanksgiving 'break' with mine on a 14-hour car drive to North Carolina and back. But as much as I'd love to vent about their annoying habits, I can't bring myself to do it. "How on earth," I wonder to myself, "does David Sedaris manage to write all of this stuff about his own family and not feel guilty?" Sure, it's funny. That's why it's funny- because it's true. But is being funny worth putting your family on display for the public, for airing out their dirty laundry?

I don't think so.

I won't lie though. A few times now I have written out horrible stories about them. I have given this blog so many small details that it even gets upset. I admit it. I've written it. But I also admit that I have reread my words, thought about the consequences, and pressed 'delete.'

Yeah, it's probably boring. You'd probably rather hear about my sister's weird repulsion of feet (which, now that I think about, might actually make for a funny story) or my dad's snoring that sounds like an oncoming train. But I won't. Despite their few quirks, I love my family.

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