Monday, June 1, 2009

despite everything

her⋅o⋅  [heer-oh]
–noun
1.a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and noble qualities.


Despite my lamentations about being busy & tired & cranky & stressed & tired & soreadyforsummerIcan'ttakeonemorethingtodo, I joined up for June's NaBloPoMo (which sounds so very very dirty if you have to say it aloud but I digress) because the theme is HEROES and it just tempted me so - I look forward to the challenge of finding 30 people I admire. [I'm hoping by the end of the month I can genuinely say I am one of my own heroes...heh].

Initial idea for Day 1 Hero? My mom. Now, anyone who knows me is aware that much of my mom's behavior drives me up a wall; I generally get excessively edgy when preparing to visit and almost always develop a violent headache during the visit.

Yet.

The things that make me crazy are essentially personality issues. The stuff that really matters, that makes one of distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds, is this:

My mom bravely put aside her carefree youth to have me - a daughter whose gender drastically displeased her father-in-law; a daughter whose presence quickly proved too much a hassle for her young husband; a daughter who was dramatic & sassy headstrong & spoiled incessantly by next-door grandparents.

My mom worked diligently at tedious jobs, becoming the best dry cleaning presser/shipping clerk/cafeteria cook not because she always aspired to those things but because it is admirable to do your best no matter what. Everywhere she goes and everything she does has a lot to do with her thinking about other people.

Despite everything I find bothersome & disagreeable, in the end my mom is my first hero.