Last week marked the 20th anniversary of my mother’s death, which I mentioned on Facebook, elaborating that, in fact, I had been fully estranged from her for some 13 years before her passing. Not altogether surprisingly, the mother apologists once again chimed in, saying that “she must have done something right since you turned out OK.
While I would trade the mother I had in for the mother I deserved without a moment’s hesitation, it did get me thinking about what she taught me about life without ever meaning to impart a single lesson. Since I am old now, I have a very different perspective than I’ve had on these matters 20, 30, or 40 years ago, much less 50 when I graduated from college.
I learned this young because her jealousy and envy animated her vision of almost everything and everyone, including me. It was inside-out learning of how to take pleasure in other people’s successes without measuring my own against them and to celebrate my own victories. More mundanely, I have always loved the shoes on my feet and the rings on my fingers without worrying about what everyone else was wearing.
Good article!
Great insights! Key points: 1. Real love is not a transaction. 2. Envy and jealousy are corrosive. 3. Truth does matter. 4. Abusive behavior diminishes the abuser. 5. There’s real growth in recognizing a mother’s wastefulness.
Everything is an influence... none of us are really ourselves... we took in a lot from other people, good and bad....
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: TIMEHealth - 🏆 121. / 63 Read more »
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »
Source: Cosmopolitan - 🏆 725. / 51 Read more »