A tribute to Mom

My mom is of the "Greatest Generation" and fits the type to a T.  She is intrepid, optimistic, always ready to roll up her sleeves and tackle whatever challenges come.  Now, at 85, she's given up driving so I ferry her to her aerobics class at the Senior Center in the mornings.  Since we live close, I drop her off and return in an hour to get her.  When I pick her up, she always asks if I was able to "get some things done" at home in that hour.  Oh yes, I tell her.  I just don't usually go into detail about the things I got done, which usually were:  sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, and knitting.  Those "things" are incredibly important to my mental health.  I have a hard time smiling at the universe if I can't start the day with coffee and knitting.  For Mom, on the other hand, those things might seem a little lazy.  (Sorry for the profanity - the "L" word is definitely a four letter word in my mom's world.)  To Mom, there are only three reasons that one might be sitting on the couch during the daylight hours:  1) you have just vacuumed and mopped the entire house and are taking a five-minute break; 2) you are ill; or 3) you are morally weak.  I'm afraid the vast majority of my couch sitting falls under the morally weak category.  

I'm not of the Greatest Generation although I look to my mom's amazing life as a standard to attempt to live up to.  I'm a Boomer, and Boomers seem to be ok with taking a little time for ourselves, including our mental health.  I like to think that with my morning centering, I'm better able to tackle all of life's other challenges in a way that would honor that most important guiding star of my life:  Mom.

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