Extended family visit advice, please help me!?

Question

Hi. I'm returning to my hometown for an extended period of time to care for my sick Grandfather. I love him very much and would do anything to help.
But, I do not get along with my parents at all and we are mostly estranged. The situation is not one that can be rectified.
How can I maintain my sanity during this time? I don't have any friends left there, as 14 years have gone by, and I'm looking for a way to not go stir crazy in a small town with only my Pap and wacky parents for company?
Thanks for any advice :) Highly appreciated.

Hey, there below me, I have tried to rectify, it was a very bad situation. Sometimes pride is a good thing.

Answer 1

I'm afraid that you've only got two choices to make, one is drop that fing pride and TRY to rectify with your parents, if there beyond that its also because of you too. The other choice is just be immature about it and ignore/avoid it, maybe just sit around and complain about how sucky it is, how good it was that moved out, and how crazy your parents are, that should kill a few weeks. I say this mostly because grampa couldn't what it this way, and two because thats just the way we need to do it. Some times were forced to grow past our parents, now act like it! Also weather you get stir crazy or not comes down to your perception, its been my experience that only boring people get bored so do something with yourself, read books, visit old places (unless your the type that avoids emotional experiences then its all going to be pure heck no matter how you slice do to the fact your not really feeling for anyone, just surviving) or talk DEEP and INTENSELY with your family about the past 14 years. See the only problem people ever have with loving anyone is PRIDE!!! DARN FOOLISH PRIDE! You could love a tree for christ sake if you just drop the whole idea its just a stupid tree, so go out there and realize even if its hard, that its part of who you are, its your identy, no-one else has it, and only those close enough can share it. Realize NOTHING is more important then love, and acting on it, that means compassion, passion, and understanding. So maybe wraping your head around how intense, extreme, surreal, and warrant experience this is, is your frist step to making this a trip that won't just drag on.....