So, my youngest brother has matriculated. (Ooh, I got to use a big word 
). I made a special trip home, an all-day drive, with two aunts and a young cousin. Usually, I only come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and always by myself. I had to accustom myself to travelling with other people. Ugh. I also had to take a different route, which meant driving through Minneapolis. Double ugh. I am not a big-city girl. I intend to avoid driving through big cities as much a possible from now on. There were no accidents, not even any near-misses, but the primitive part of my brain was indulging in fight-or-flight behavior. For me, that means flight and all it entails.
Coming home for graduation also meant coming home to clean. Not my favorite pasttime. I’m not usually around so many people, so I was really in sensory overload with my mom and her three sisters in one small house. I am seriously considering my half-formed plan to become a recluse.
Graduation was good; short and sweet. It only took an hour for not quite 200 seniors to get their diplomas, including speeches. I took the obligatory pictures, along with mom and the aunts. We also had a graduation party. Lots of strange teenagers and friends of my parents came. I’m not always comfortable in social situations, but this was precisely the sort of gathering I can deal with: the relatives were all occupied with other people, and I made impersonal small talk with strangers.
My other brother and his friend (both drinking age) introduced me to a drinking game, three man. It was my first such game, since I am not a big drinker. I can safely say I’m not drunk, but I’m definitely tipsy. That’s the only excuse I can give for even posting this truly mundane and pointless thread.
Tomorrow I get the make the drive home again, with one aunt and the small cousin in tow. A very energetic and attention-seeking small cousin. God help me.
Well, I thought I had to share, and I have. That is all.