5 Life Lessons From Mom

Howdy Family ????????‍♂️,

Top 5 Life Lessons From Mom

1. Stay Curious (especially in people).
2. Give to others without expecting anything in return.
3. Learn from other people’s experiences.
4. If you don’t have the answer. Go & Find It.
5. Remain Cool when confronted with ignorance.

This week was my mom’s birthday. The phone had its usual check-in routine filled with the “make sure to wear your mask”. No matter how often she says it, I never get tired of it. Even in my 30s, she tells me to look both ways before crossing the road. ????

Like most of our calls, my mom often has a story to share with me. As I sat on the phone listening to a story my mom has told me 20x before, that’s when it hit me. All the stories she has repeated time and time again were filled with lessons. 

It hit me that growing up in a single-parent household, mom’s had to do the best with what she had. My mom was a behind-the-scene social butterfly. I recall going into restaurants, and stores where the owner or cashier were of different nationalities. 

Mom always seemed to know how to say “Hi, How are you?” in multiple languages, from Greek to Farsi, to Arabic, to Mandarin (from the time I went to Chinese Summer Camp for 4 weeks).  It always amazed me to see people’s eyes light up.????

Which really comes down to noticing and acknowledging the people you come in contact with in life. It was her way of saying “I see you” which made people feel special.

One of my favourite stories my mom would share was of the interactions with a racist/prejudice (still thinking of the right word) client. Mom worked in sales and customer service for a clothing company.

For months she’d have weekly called with a client that placed orders. Call after call the customer got comfortable and opened up more and more when talking to my mom. On a few occasions, the client would express her hate and disgust for African Americans. 

This went on for weeks. Then came the day the customer came to the factory to pick up an order. At the front desk, she asked for my mom, and well the lady was speechless when my mom walked out. 

Mom would explain to me to not let someone’s ignorance or hate take you off your cool. I like to think I carry that with me to this day. I call it the Triple C’s Calm, Cool, & Collected ????

This allowed me to see a woman who has never travelled across the Atlantic be able to connect with so many strangers and make them feel at ease within seconds of contact. 

I was planning on writing about my experience in growing up without a permanent role model. I am reminded that I want to keep these short.

Next week I’ll share about how the following lyrics made me reflect on growing up in a single-parent home.

“Reporting live from the land of the hopeless

Representing for the team that won rings with no coaches”

Chris “Aha❕❕ Moment” Latham ✌????