Things I Have Learned From My Mom

Most of my blogs up to this point have been on subjects that are harder for me to share, but this one will be quite different. Different because I love my mom. Different because she is my best friend. Different because I am who I am today based greatly on much that I have learned from her.

Though anyone that knew my mom at my age will say that she was everything entirely opposite of who I am, she is now the one that I can relate to most. Her deep southern accent is the butt of a lot of jokes, but she would not be her without it. Her laugh, or chuckle rather, is not able to be imitated. It is irreplaceable and something that I know I will long to hear once she is no longer around. She is the woman that religiously drove me to and from all of my dance classes and was my biggest supporter. When my self esteem is low, she is the one that crushes the nonsense that comes from my mouth. She is the one that showed me what unconditional love is through example. My values and morals have been formed from the exposure to Christ that she provided to me at such an early age. No matter what I do, I know I will never ever lose her love.

Now that I have evoked tears from the eyes of my female readers, I can tell you a few of the things that I have learned from my mom. I hope they give you a good laugh, especially to those who know my incredible mom.

Lesson #1
Music from the 70s is irreplaceable, especially that of the rock genre.
(I have been listening to Lynard Skinnard, Rod Stewart, The Doors, The Doobie Brothers, and etc. since before I could talk. Not only have I listened to it, my mom made sure I listened to it the right way... LOUD. AND my first concert ever was Rod Stewart. Yes I was the youngest attendee and I knew every word to every song.)

Lesson #2
Embarrassment is only a state of mind.
This lesson entails a few examples to reinforce my point.
Ex: Dancing like a fool (aka: doing the robot, dougie, and etc.) in front of others is not embarrassing, it brings laughter to everyone who sees.
Ex: Staring someone down in the store because you think you know them is not embarrassing, it either reunites you with an old friend or makes you a new one.

Lesson #3
Being friendly never hurt anyone, and asking others for help (even complete strangers) saves a lot of time.
(This includes asking old women if they think your daughter looks "cute" in the jeans she has just tried on, asking where a product is even when you butcher the pronunciation, and telling jokes to people you don't know and then laughing so hard they can't help but laugh.)

Lesson #4
Chocolate, candy, and any other type of sweet is acceptable at any time of day, despite what nutritionists may tell you.
(Ice cream is full of calcium, chocolate is good for your heart, and sweets in general make people happier)

Lesson #5
Being a home body is nothing to be ashamed of.
(What is better than sleeping in your own bed, lounging in your most comfortable clothes, and munching on your favorite foods?)

Lesson #6
Talking to animals is totally normal, of course they understand you and love you more for it.

These are but a small sampling of the lessons I have learned from my mom, and yes they are on the funny side. She has also taught me many life lessons that have made me a better person, a good friend, and one day a great mom. I love her more than words can express. I hope that anyone that reads this is fortunate to have met her or will meet her one day.

For now, that's all I have to say. Enjoy, and may your relationships with your parents be blessed and as memorable as mine.

The Ending of a Chapter

It has been quite a while since I have taken the time to sit down and write what's been going on in my head.  So here goes...

Today was my last football game to attend as a student. I enjoyed every second of it. In fact, it is the happiest I have been in a few weeks. My friends were around me to make me smile, my sister was there to experience it with me, the weather was perfect, and the student section was LOUD. It doesn't get much better for me. 

Note however, that I said it is the happiest I have been in weeks. Now I guess the question to ask is why. Why have I been unhappy? One of my friends and my sister can tell you the kind of texts I send them from time to time. They include "I give up" "I'm obviously not good enough"  "What is wrong with me?" and etc. Every time I feel like I've caught a break, it ends up not working out. 

Anyone else remember that song by Cheap Trick, I Want You to Want Me? Yes, I know... a bit of a stupid song, but I feel as though I have been feeling the way the lyrics of the chorus describe: wanting to be wanted, needing to be needed, loving to be loved. When I sat down to write this post, I had to force myself to really figure out what has been causing my sadness. And I think I may have pinned it down. I do not feel wanted by anyone, meaning yes I know I have friends, but I don't feel as though there is anyone that misses me on a daily basis or wants to see me on a daily basis. Meaning I do not feel as though I am making a difference in the life of anyone. Quite frankly, I don't feel as if I am of significance to anyone that I am not related to or that is above the age of 6. 

What have I done to deal with my sadness? Well, complain to my poor sister for one thing, and she has been nothing but gracious when hearing my complaints. Also, I am really, really good at acting like I am fine. Save for my sister and a close friend, everyone else thinks I am fine. Why? Because I tell them I am fine. I tell them life is great, school keeps me busy, and I work out in my free time. Truth is, I don't have anything to complain about in my life, school is winding down and Christmas break is around the corner. This is a bit saddening for me because I know I won't be on campus as often next semester due to student teaching... so perhaps this contributes to how I feel. But honestly, I can deal with it. Working out always makes me feel better.... which may explain why I have run 15 miles in the past three days. But, I have not been alone in a very long time. I have not learned to love myself for just being me. I gauge my happiness based on the amount of texts I get in a day or the number of invites I get for weekend plans, which I can humbly say are few. So I will say that as petty as it is, my popularity has defined my happiness, rather than how I feel about myself. So I will admit that I am down. Maybe it just takes some getting used to, I don't know. But what I do know is that the attachment I have to my phone is something I am going to work on. If I wasn't checking it every five minutes I could enjoy life and not be upset by the texts that aren't there. I am on a search to define me. And that I will do. No matter what it takes, I will be okay with being on my own, as I step into a new phase of my life.