My Reflection
Bartender. Teacher. Painter. Pantomime. Accountant. Sign language expert. Salesperson. Candle lady. Math tutor. DIS aide. Job coach.
She is all of these things and more. She has an adventurous spirit and a love for people that causes her to do well in every profession she seeks.
She is my mother.
I had an epiphany today. As I stress about and strain toward the future, my list of future “job titles” grows. CNA. Paraeducator. Nurse. Barista. Education Specialist. Academic assessment proctor. Tutor. Lawyer. Freelance writer. Photography lover. Accountant. Overseas English teacher. Journalist. Educational Consultant. International Education Developer.
Most females I know spend much of their adult lives trying to avoid truly deserving these words: “You are just like your mother.” To be candid, I understand why. Because it’s usually a sentence uttered with contempt, not unlike the oft used verbal face-slap: “Way to go, Einstein!” Be that as it may, it occurred to me that I am just like my mother. Not in every way possible, but in her life my mom has explored many different options, all of them quite unique in their own right and as I walk through life, I find that I have the proclivity to do the same. Something that touches the nerve of passion, something that is off the beaten path, something that provides a sense of accomplishment. Something I can truly throw myself into.
Today I laughed because I imagined telling my kids all the fields I’ve worked in and those I’ve gone to school for. I’m building up a list not dissimilar to the woman who went before me. So here’s to my mother, whose spirit inspires me and whose list of occupations I look to outdo. Happy not-Mothers’ Day!
“My mother is a poem
I’ll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.”
~Sharon Doubiago
The Sasquatch Soul: wandering, searching deeply, and avoiding photos. 
Tina Sowers said,
August 4, 2011 at 8:31 am
I love it!! You’re mom is a wonderful woman and you are too! Since becoming a mother, my desire to be more like my mother has grown and I would take the “You’re just like your mother” comment as a compliment! Thanks for sharing! (Also, I think it’s great that you have the freedom and courage to pursue whatever your current dream or passion may be!)