And make sure to snag any leftover food to take home with you. If they start giving you dirty looks, just ask "well, were you planning pack it in your suitcase?"
Oh, I like that!
Warning: this post is sort of self-therapy for me. Lots of self-involved psychobabble. You
have been warned, lol.
Thanks for the replies, especially the ones that offered a positive way to view things.
I'm still in limbo. I haven't been given my final price by the sister in law yet,
but the momentum is leaning toward double price.
Here's the clever pricing scheme. She is charging per room, not per person. 5 rooms. $2,000
for the weekend total. So that's $400 per room. People can share a room and the cost of the room.
I rarely see these relatives so I am uneasy asking them to share my room, and no one has offered.
There are natural pairings like husband and wife, brother and brother, etc to share rooms. But it
looks like the sister in law will be saying "Gee, Bob, nobody wanted to share your room with you, so
unfortunately, sob, sob, you will have to pay the whole $400 for your room, What a darn shame"
I have already told the sister in law I want to share a room, but I haven't said that I would
refuse to pay $400 for a room if no one shares with me.
Maybe I ought to find some non-relative who wants to go to the shore, and invite him/her to
go with me, to share the cost, lol.
My plan right now is to do nothing, with the expectation that I'll be charged $400. I'll try to fell
like a nice, generous guy, and not like a played victim. I was definitely a played victim in
my divorce, and I think whenever that victim theme pops up I overreact and start obsessing. Never again.
Never again. Never again. ptsd? lol. Not looking for sympathy, just adding it to the thread. Maybe
this is therapeutic for me. I don't have anyone to talk to about it.
This really wore me down yesterday. I'm surprised by how much it wrecked me, emotionally. As bad as a bad day at w*rk.
I hope I won't obsess over it as much today. I'll stay busy doing stuff.
But I think this maybe is going to be a big weight on me from now until a few days after the whole
thing is over, which is a month away.
This is one of those things that can have a silver lining, but I'm never clever enough to see it.
I know there's a silver lining here somewhere somehow.
And it's just $200!
Things I will tell myself:
It's only $200.
I get my own private room!
I can rest assured I paid more than "my fair share" and be guilt-free.
The relatives will treat me better. (possibly)
You're doing this for your mom, not the relatives.
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
I will give myself permission to just let it go, allow myself to feel good about life anyway.
You haven't violated your principles.
It's not fair but so what? You are not condoning it.
You do not need to feel awful about it. You can get over it, and you will.
You did your best, so you lived up to that principle.
This is what it has come to, and it's time to 'let it go', 'move on', etc.
The fight is over. Time to rest and recover. Even George Foreman lost now and then.
Your mind will tell you every few hours that you have been ripped off. Just ignore it.
No one will think of you as a played victim ( I hope) But if they do, I may get some
sympathy, lol.
If you agree to pay the $400, you are not opening the flood gates for more abuse to follow.
You can feel morally superior (thanks, merula)
There may be a silver lining here if you are open to it.