Easter Orphan

For the past several years, I have gotten a strange feeling around Easter and until today I wasn't able to put a label to it.

It was a feeling of discontent... no discontent is too strong.
It was a feeling of unease... no, that's not right either...
... absence, that's it. At Easter I experience a feeling of absence.

I'm not religious, so Easter holds no religious significance for me - my feeling of absence is purely a secular one. To me, Easter is a "family holiday" (considering it thus is probably my first mistake) not unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving - both of which involve a coming together of family to partake in ritualistic behaviours (my university anthropology class is finally paying off) and since I am single with my parental units and sister living at least two hours away I don't participate in Easter "festivities".

It's not that I particularly mind my participatory shortcomings, it's just that, at Easter, I am reminded of the fact that I AM single and that my family IS at least two hours away.

The majority of my friends have spouses, or partners, or other forms of family that they descend upon, or are descended upon by for Easter. The few that have no family close by have “surrogate families” that they have been adopted by over the years that they can spend Easter with. I have not yet been adopted, I am an Easter Orphan.

This feeling of absence is accentuated by overhearing people discussing their “Easter Plans” like it was some military manoeuvre or by having well-meaning people ask me, “So, what are you doing for Easter?” – to which I reply - “Oh, nothing” – which is generally met by a look of pity.

Please don’t pity me – that isn’t why I’m writing this blog. Nor am I writing it in order to root out an Easter get-together to crash (I flatter myself by thinking anyone actually reads my blogs). I’m simply writing to rationalize how I feel and hopefully make others (again, self-flattery here) realize that though their family can aggravate to the brink of madness, but they’re still family, they’re still there, close enough to get a hug from when you need it. Having family near by can often be a blessing - treasure them.

Although I am an Easter Orphan, I am still lucky.

I'm not alone in the WORLD and though I won’t get a home-cooked Easter Feast (given my current waistline that’s probably a good thing) and I won’t get any hugs on Easter, I’m not going to be completely alone on Easter.

I will, no doubt, call my Mum and tell her how much I love her. We may reminisce of Easters past and both wish there wasn't a one hour drive and 90 minute plane trip separating us. But still we are, in our own way, together for Easter.