Holidays

so its been awhile since I've written. I get very busy this time of year as we all do.
From about my birthday through the end of the year its always an intense race for the finish line.
This year I took off from 12-22 through the first of the year. Thats the longest I've taken off of both work and school. It was weird to say the least. I am one of those people that is always asking "What do I DO now?" "What's next on my list?" "Can I be doing something now to help me in the future?" So my days were spent trying to clean my apartment and not doing a very good job of it, hanging with friends and family-which was great! I then got sick and flew to see my 17 month old niece who is amazing if I do say so myself. When I flew out I had a 103 fever, which is high and odd. Those are the kind of fevers you get when you are a child and someone can take care of you cuz you can't think straight.
Well, as a 28 year old adult I got one of "those" fevers and GOT ON A PLANE-not a good idea. I was congested and miserable, thank goodness it was only a short flight, but my ears stayed clogged for TWO days. I got to my families house and my mommy took care of me, I am grateful for that. I am glad that I wasn't at my place by myself cuz it was one of those sicknesses that I couldn't even think straight. All I wanted to do was be comfortable, even if that meant not breaking my fever. Thank goodness for my mom cuz while I was under the covers I could whine to here that I was hot and she say "Stay under the covers" and I'd grumble and do what she said. It worked and I broke my fever which made me feel a lot better.
It is always difficult on me to go see my family. It is difficult on me because my life is so different than theres. If I want to go somewhere I get in my car and go without worrying about it breaking down. I come home to quiet and peace unless I've decided otherwise. Life is just much different for me than they. Their mindset is one of being beaten down and not having any options, although I know they do, one of unfairness, bigotry, indirectness and should and should nots. All this to say that they are not bad people, good people in fact, but they have made some poor choices. I use to think that I would NEVER make choices like theirs, but alas that is not true. I like my sister have stayed in a relationship because it was a relationship and I was scared to be alone. I too have not taken very good care of myself before recent years much like my mother and didn't understand the importance of it. I wonder if we are not all that different; my family and I; maybe our perspectives are different. Sometimes I feel guilty after visiting them because comparitively I have so much more than they in many areas. I have dependable means of transportation, a good secure job, no major health problems. I think the saddest thing to me is that I don't see them as having supportive people in their lives. Many of their friends are in similar places as they and handle things much the same way-reactionary rather than proactively.
In my want to help them I want to DO something to go tell them what they should do, what they need to do to have a better life. I have done this and it does not work in fact they dig their heels in even more because they feel like I am looking down on them, when I feel like I am trying to help them to do some things differently. In the last few years I've tried to not tell them how to do life differently but to love them where they are and support them when I can and to love them no matter what their choices are. I hope that this is enough.