This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:

"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."


"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."

"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."

This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:

"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."


"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."

"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."

I was thinking about this a lot over the last few months, mainly because someone said to me 'your family will always be there no matter what, friends come and go but family is for life'

Anyway, I had a little epiphany one night while I couldn't sleep and, to me, it makes perfect sense. I was thinking about what constitutes family (for me) and I don't actually think its necessarily the person who has the same surname as you or is biologically related. Yes I know that most people get along really well with their families and they would feel closer to them than most other people they know, but unfortunatly thats not always the case.

The definition of family in my eyes is like that certain someone said; 'the people who are always going to be there for you no matter what', and yea this is certainly true, so shouldn't that extend out to friends and lovers too??? The person who said this to me wasn't actually thinking of this phrase in the same context that I am, she was thinking in biological terms, but I know for myself that I would feel more comfortable including my friends into my 'family' than I would be living with her standards and restrictions.

I'm not trying to say that theres something wrong with what constitutes family in her eyes, I'm just trying to express that theres more than one way to be. I'm not being a modernist or something, its just how I see things.

In my own personal experience, I don't actually understand why someone would tolerate being around someone else, biological family member or not, just because they think they have to.

If you do not enjoy someone's company, you do not actually like a person, that person does not bring out the best in you, you do not feel loved or respected in this folly of a relationship, you do not have a GENUINE connection of some sort with that person and all these things (which are just a few in a long list of things that i feel constitute a being family or not), are mutual feelings, THEN WHAT IS THE POINT IN WASTING TIME ON/WITH THAT PERSON???? In doing so, you waste time, energy and emotion that could be spent well on something that would actually be worth while and will in the long term benifit you.

So as we (I'm just going to assume the majority of people who read this are around my age) approach our adult life and have to learn things like this (by the way this is only from my own perspective and experiences) shouldn't we be able to decide who our family is? Because, in all honesty, most of will not be living right beside our relitives in the future, and we will inevitably change and grow and grow close with other people and equally we can grow appart.

The point that I'm trying to make really is that, we should just go with what feels right for that time. If you feel closer to someone who is not a relitive than thats fine, and if your best friend is a sibling, thats brilliant too. I just think we should be a little more open to what others and ourselves view and think what a fimily is. Peace out!!