My self-imposed rules for Christmas

I’m finally going back to Texas.

1. I will not chicken out this time, and I will get on that plane.
2. I will take a deep breath, because my parents have accepted me from the very beginning, and at least on social media, my extended family seems to accept me for the most part as well.
3. I will take my time and go on walks when I need to.
4. If someone says something ugly to me, I will be silent and just keep doing what I was doing.
5. If they persist, I will still keep my mouth shut. In a confrontation, I will lose, because some folks have already decided how they feel about things, and that will not change.
6. If someone has questions, I will answer honestly and happily, and I will trust that it shows!
7. If someone has questions with ill intent, I will still be honest. And if that fails, I will keep my mouth shut.
8. If I need a break, I will play with the new farm cat or say I’m not feeling well and excuse myself.
9. If there is pressure to go to Mass, where I am scared of being unwelcome by people who recognize me, I will say I’m not feeling well and be firm that I don’t want to go.
10. I will take a deep breath, because I am not the main focus anyway — Christmas is! And it will probably only be awkward for a short while!
11. I will think about how much I want to see my cousins, and I will not chicken out this time, because they will be worth it.
12. I will be brave! I will finally visit my home state of Texas while I still can, and I will remember how fortunate I am to be loved and mostly accepted.

I don’t wanna dig for stock photos, so I re-captioned this unrelated Christmassy thing I drew 🤪