He's so nice one minute but not the next.
I don't understand what's wrong.
He's usually easy going
Not so angry and headstrong!
What did I do to earn his wrath?
What can I do to change it?
I thought our life was right on track.
I'll have to rearrange it.
To make him happy, that's my role
To keep the family close,
To keep the peace and keep the house,
And not appear morose.
Because sometimes the smallest things
Seem to upset him so
And at those times, he grabs a drink
And then it's touch and go.
We keep this secret to ourselves.
We don't complain, we smile!
And go about our business
And become so versatile!
As we grow, we learn how much
Our family impacts us
And we tend to follow footsteps of
The only way it was.
We fight our parents battles
And we run from drinks and drugs
We run from love and closeness
And tighten up when someone hugs
Us because we're never certain
How consistent someone is.
We walk on eggshells all the time
Ready to dismiss
The other for their various faults,
We take a lesser stance.
We make them more important
Than we are in circumstance.
A lesson that is hard to learn
When we've grown up this way--
To be equally important in
What we want and what we say.
So if you cannot intervene,
Make a change in your own life
So that someday you can be yourself
With your husband or your wife
Or your significant other
If you choose a different route.
Because what you want is what you want.
Be true to your pursuit.
It's time to take the driver's seat
And move towards your life goals.
Decide what you want and go for it
And let go of the roles
You've played for years and mastered.
Your time's long overdue.
Take care of others, but care for yourself.
As they say "To thine own self be true."
From the book One Heart's Journey
by Kate McGahan LMSW