Adventure

Like most of us, my mom has come across struggles in life that were difficult. The gritty details of our lives are private and dear to me, but I assure you my mother had enough to deal with trying to support two children as a single mom. What is extraordinary about my mom is her lust for adventure and ability to always see the bright side of life. My mother loves life, even when it seemed to be hitting her hard with lemons. My mother somehow was able to make lemonade thousands of times as a parent when we were growing up. Even when something could be seen as annoying or embarrassing, mom just went with it and made the best of the situation. When I was very small, I tried to con my younger brother into petting a skunk. I told him that it was a cat, and as we approached the animal, which was clearly not interested in being petted. I ended up getting sprayed by the skunk along with my brother, and the odor was enough to burn your nostrils. Mom laughs to this day about the smell of skunk in our beat up small 1970s VW Beetle as she drove to the store for tomato juice to attempt to remove the odor. She said that we all hung our heads out of the car like dogs. We went right into the small town grocery store, while people in the aisles were offended by the odor, and stared at us. Mom always saw these problems and situations as challenges to overcome. She never complained or was cynical. She laughed all of the time.

I continue to live in the same fashion that my mother did. Every single day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, accomplish and be your best. My mother is a grandmother now and she is no different than she was when I was a child. She still jumps over waves and rides boogie boards on them too. She is almost 70 now, but bikes every day and goes downhill skiing with her friends all over the country. She is a Doctor of Education, and worked for her entire life as an educator. She worked her way out of a difficult time in her life, and raised two successful and happy children while doing it. She overcame and powered through life, but also enjoyed it at the same time. She would sled with us, ride horses, ice skate on lakes and spend time laughing with us through some rough seasons. She never gave up, and always smiled. She never spoke a negative word about others, and shined through seasons that were very dark.

My mom isn't famous. You would not recognize her for any major awards that our public would crow over, but she has made the most profound impact on me. My mother is much more extraordinary than all fame, and her spirit for kindness and faith is profound. She is strong beyond words, and endured struggles that no woman should have to live through. Today, as I am now living through the most challenging time in my life, my mother continues to be my strength when I am not able to see the positives. I did follow my mother’s path as an educator, as I am a school counselor. I love to bike and ski, run, hike, photograph nature, and kayak. I jump off cliffs into cool waters and soak up all that life has to offer, without abandon. I love life because the opportunities are absolutely endless. Failure happens, but learning is the result if you are able to be positive and develop yourself further. My mother taught me thousands of lessons. Most of all, my sense and lust for adventure will fill my days as a result of her profound influence. I never care who is watching because this is my only opportunity to live my life to the fullest, and laugh at myself doing so. I have stories of falling down, and falling down hard, but at the end of the day I had another great adventure. Challenges are not always fun, but if you never experienced any adversity, life would be pretty darn boring. The challenges are always mounting, and when you feel your worst it may be time for a great or small adventure. Perspective makes a huge difference, and if you perceive life as awesome and exciting, even with the challenges, you will have great stories to tell and live a full life.