Yesterday was my mother's birthday. She sounded more mellow than I think she's ever been in her life. In years past, her birthday is all about what presents she's getting and how that translates to love of her. When I can't get her a nice big gift...like this year...I always feel guilty.For some reason this year, she didn't seem to care. One of her daughters made her breakfast and another one brought home pizza for dinner. She got a phone call from me and a email that expressed my appreciation for her this past year. I think that's about it. And she sounded perfectly content.
I have been pondering what made this year different...and I think I figured it out. Instead of expecting the perfect presents from other people, my mom gave them to herself. For instance,
- She didn't do anything on her birthday except rent a movie. She didn't run errands, didn't shuttle people around, didn't "catch up" on stuff around the house. She just relaxed all day.
- She made phone calls. She called all the friends that she hadn't spoken to in a long time, instead of waiting for them to call her. The joy comes from the conversation, so who cares who picks up the phone first. One of her friends said, "Happy Birthday! Thanks for calling!"
- She exercised. Today she did a 10K walk for charity with some people she works with. It's her second long walk and she really enjoyed taking care of her body and taking exercising seriously. She had done research on proper walking technique and was sharing her knowledge. I talked to her immediately after and she sounded great.
1 comment:
Good for Mom! It sounds like she has the right idea about what's important. What a great gift to share with her children and then with the rest of us. :)
Here's wishing her many more wonderful birthdays.
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