Affliction

Every family has its traits, both good and bad, but some of them are quirky while others will kill you.

In our family there is the tendency to over do.

There is a general belief that anything worth doing is worth over doing! If you can walk a mile, then you really must walk ten miles! If you wash your dishes then it must be by hand five seconds after the last bite enters someone's mouth.

You get the idea.

This has been a nearly fatal flaw for some members of the family.

My father went out to walk himself to death because he was depressed and merely stumbled off the curb breaking his collar bone. He did die and ultimately this was the final blow, but it took years in a nursing home to come to fruition.

My grandmother ran circles around everyone in the family (maybe the world) until she had a stroke and lay completely paralyzed, unable to eat, talk, or move for the last years of her life.

My brother has always said he'd rather die than give up drinking and smoking. Looks like he's going to get his wish. (And he finally gave up drinking a couple of years ago.)

Being pathetic is not a good trait. You really don't want to cultivate it.