Tradition!

As you well know, I don't have many traditions in my life. Things have always been scattered and weird for me, so the few traditions I do have, I not only cherish, but guard within an inch of my life. I've built these traditions around the people who are most important to me. My roommate and I have the holiday traditions of watching, singing along with, and mocking holiday specials. My best friend and I decorate a Christmas tree together every year.

One of the traditions that has meant the most to me over the last 12 or so years has been spending the night that we get our extra hour back with an online friend. This year, due to the poor planning and selfishness of someone in her family, and the indulgence of everyone else in her family, she's not able to enjoy the extra hour with me.

I realize this is a small thing and perhaps it even seems like a petty thing to many people, but for me, it's been a part of my life for many years now. It's important to me and it's important to her, and it stings that this year, it won't be happening.

I think it's important to respect other people's moments. In our little human existence, our memories and our awareness of who we are is defined by the moments that we truly fuse into our brain. Traditions and holidays play a large role in this. If you find yourself in the position of screwing up someone's moment, I invite you to think twice about it. And I encourage you to NOT screw it up, if you can help it. Don't ruin what is special for other people. Of all the things in the world that you shouldn't do, that is certainly one of them.