Hosted by Lauren @ LSS Attitude of Gratitude

This week’s prompt is: Things I Don’t Miss

Do not misunderstand or misinterpret the title of the prompt and one of my younger sisters in the photograph with me, in the wrong way. My sister is a grown woman now, with a lovely grown daughter who has two beautiful teenage step-children, bless her. They live up in the Atlanta area and I, of course, reside down here on the southern coast of North Carolina. I do miss seeing her and them, but this post is not about that.

This is about things I do not miss, so here we go. I do not miss being a little girl and constantly being compared to my middle sister. Though I am the oldest, I was compared in a not very favorable way to her.

Examples: “What happened to you? Someone beat you with an ugly stick?”

That was my uncle, who would then turn to my beautiful, green-eyed platinum blonde sister and lavish praise on her for the rest of his visit. I stood back and watched, looked in the mirror and silently agreed with him. I held no ill-will towards my sister as it wasn’t her fault. However, the feelings I held towards my uncle were, less than flattering. This is something I do not miss.

“Why can’t you do your hair like your sister’s? Hers is so pretty and looks so finished. You look like you went through a clothes dryer Ami!” That was my father. My hair is wildly curly, fine and naturally fuzzy, no matter what I do to it. As we matured, my sisters hair grew longer and brighter and smoother, quite beautiful. She allowed no one to touch it and if by chance one did touch it; watch out for the meltdown, after which she was coddled by both parents and I was admonished for upsetting her. This is something I do not miss.

In school I was bullied mercilessly, this is something I do not miss. Although I’d love to come face to face with some of them now. I think they’d like to forget afterward too!

I do not miss the sadness and grief at the passing of my grandparents and much later, the passing of my own parents. I do not miss the pain experienced at the passing of beloved friends and treasured pets.

Because I do not miss these sad feelings, the overwhelming feelings of grief and despair, the lack of confidence and isolation, I’m able to survive. I’m able to thrive. Because I do not miss these things but remember them; I can look forward to and relish the things I will miss one day.