In seventh grade, I created a questionnaire in a notebook. Each page hosted a single question, with plenty of open lines for responses- questions like: “What’s your favorite movie? Color? Swear word? Most embarrassing moment? What are you afraid of? etc. This was passed around among all the girls in my class (I don’t remember why boys were not included, but probably because we were 12). We all delighted in reading each other’s interesting, humorous and occasionally deeply meaningful content, and it inspired some great conversations afterwards.
Thirty-one years later, with your help, I would like to try a similar, simple experiment. In honor of Mother’s Day, I would like to ask you to share one singular piece of wisdom you have learned from your mother. Whether about yourself, life in general, or about the world. Maybe it is a quote, a particular memory that brings joy, or a special recipe, or the knowledge how to do something. Choose one, and please share it in a reply to this post. If you don’t mind sharing (and don’t feel like you have to), please also give you age and what state/country you live in.
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43, New Hampshire: My mother was a Master Gardener and horticulturist, and loved all plants, but roses in particular. She sometimes judged rose shows. She brought me once to one as a child. Surrounded by all this fragrance and beauty, I asked her what she looked for when trying to judge so many pretty things. She taught me that roses, and plants in general, have certain genetic and situational challenges based on where they grow- including soil nutrition, weather, exposure to stress and elements. That there are always scars and bumps individual to each plant when you look closely, and no such thing as perfection. But that any rose can grow beautifully if its particular needs are tended well over time, and that their exceptional individual differences and adaptations are exactly the things that make them beautiful, and winners in shows! (This view impacted me profoundly in how I would later train to administer healthcare for people)
by Cora Rivard, N.D.
