Mama’s Girl
My mother became one of my best friends when I was about 25. I realized she was a pretty cool chick and things changed. The mother/daughter dynamic will never go away but a wonderful friendship grew from that relationship. I’ve always joked that she grew up well...it wasn’t me, I’m a selfish brat. None-the-less, I’ve been blessed to have much in common with Mama.
Believe me when I say, it was awesome to go in on a little jon boat and trolling motor and fish every spare minute we had. Staying up until 3 AM drinking wine and shooting the sh*t was priceless. But, time and life has taken us to another phase in our relationship. In my entire life, I never dreamed we would relate on health issues and such.
Mama is now 88 years old and I have gone through brain tumor surgery and treatment, leaving my left side deeply effected. Needless to say, we can talk walkers, canes, wheelchairs and medicine, along with depression, manic behaviors and falling down. Didn’t expect that by the time I turned 55!
While it’s definitely odd, there seems to be a plethora of benefits for both of us, especially regarding emotions. It’s very helpful to know that the most supportive woman in my life, for my whole life, understands where I’m coming from. And I am much more understanding of her frustrations as her body ages...gracefully, I might add.
We won’t be trolling around the lake any time soon, but we talk often and we talk real. We cry. We laugh. We literally talk poop! Oh, excuse me...BM. While I certainly didn’t expect my life to take this turn, I am blessed with the wisdom that my mother has gained in a long and full life and she’s not done yet. Lucky Mama’s girl, that’s me.
