The Ballad of Yucca Plucca

The last time I competed in an Olympic-length Milk Dud relay I was nine, named Ima DeFastust, and finished a dissatisfying 5th place.  Even Yucca Plucca finished ahead of me (THAT day).  For the uninitiated, Yucca Plucca was the Romanian athlete persona my middle sister created for herself that day, and the Milk Dud relay was just one of various Summer Olympic events that my sisters, cousins and I created one summer at my grandparents' house.  This side of the family is Irish and Ukrainian and, God love the whole bunch of them for letting us ravage the house and neighborhood to accomodate our nuttiness.

This weekend I realized not much as changed.

We reunited to celebrate my Aunt's 80th birthday and, even without two key factions of the family, proved that nutty family chemistry is just about as timeless as things get.

My 80 year-old aunt?  She can see about as well as a 10-year-old boy swimming underwater with his eyes open, but yesterday, she pulled a Betty White during a very confusing football game and bounced right back.  And that was after her one wine cooler of the year.  The football game itself was epic and full of NCAA violations but, a vision of flying sweat played with a sad little purple football.  And only one injury required homemade sutures and a bandaid.  Success!  Aside from the game, we continued many family customs such as buffet line wrestling and, created many new ones involving Battleship Bingo, bongo drums, and ceiling fans.  All I'll say about that is.........engineers?  They don't sometimes think so fast on their feet.

It wasn't quite Festivus. It was much, much better.

Just replaying the day with my Mom now, I realize it's not what we do when all of us are together that makes such a difference.  It's that we always somehow end up turning a standard-issued activity like a reunion picnic, into many funny little pockets of opportunity for intimacy, or challenge or exploration.  Everyone can expose themselves (not THAT way!) and be appreciated for their singular gifts and inclinations.  Judgement never enters.....that was bounced at the front door.  And the elders can sit back and say, "....would ya look at that?  We DIDN'T screw up!!!" 


No, you didn't screw up.  You allowed a climate where Yucca and Ima and the others could be made and do their thing, who would go on to create Dr. Awesomes and Ian The Destroyers and the others, who will do their thing and....

It could not have been a truer commemoration of we ,and our quirky family chemistry.  Not to be trite (but I will be), it binds us no matter how much time passes between sightings, and welcomes newcomers with abundant laughs, warmth, and love.  And plates and plates of protein.

Uconventional holiness, embodied in four generations.  And I couldn't be more thankful for it.

So Yucca Plucca and comrades?  The next Milk Dud Relay starts in 94 days.

And it is ON.