In honor of a beautiful Mother’s Day yesterday spent celebrating moms near and far and memories of mothers no longer here, I decided to dedicate today’s post to my mom and 10 things she has taught me. From the random and more practical to the real (it’s what came to mind this morning) I’m sure there is much more! She is now in her 80s, so we can call this 80 to 40 to 20 Vision.
1) You simply have to learn to laugh at yourself. You can’t take yourself so seriously. When you take yourself too seriously, people will likely be laughing at you. It’s a lot more fun to laugh with them.
2) A little bit of make-up goes a long way. When you are young, too much make-up doesn’t make you look older, it just makes you look like you are wearing make-up. When your older, too much make up makes you look older.
3) Forgive what you think are your flaws. They may turn out to be assets. When I was young I hated my legs as I was taller than all my friends. My 5’3″ mom jokingly told me that I would appreciate them someday but more importantly to make the most what I had rather than wishing I had what someone else had. Don’t feel like you have to fit one mold. She, my sister and I all have different shapes and sizes and we’re each beautiful in our own way. As my sister said to me not long ago, “You got the hair, I got the bra size. Everybody has their assets.”
4) When you are planning a party or entertaining, the best thing to do is just put yourself in the guests shoes. Walk yourself through the planned event and imagine what you would like from when you walk though the door to when you exit. Then the party will plan itself.
5) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You can’t really go wrong with the old golden rule.
6) Don’t assume anything about anyone…people will constantly surprise you — give them a chance to.
7) You are never too old. Here’s to a very active 80-something woman.
8) In your 20s, you should learn how to drink one solid adult cocktail (if you drink at all). Not of the pink drink variety. Some occasions just aren’t made for beer or wine and you should know what to order and how to enjoy it.
9) There is more than one way to live a life. The only thing you have to do is get an education and know how to support yourself — from there on enjoy the journey and make room in your life for surprises.
10) Take a mental health day when you need it. We jokingly called it the “vapors” (as in ‘Mom has the vapors today’). But essentially it’s the same thing. Mom’s off duty for the day. Take a day to indulge and restore yourself every now and then. Don’t do it too often or it will lose its power. Stay in bed, read a book. Relax. Your body and mind need it.