Gratitude and Potholes

I had some new photos taken recently for my business and received some comments when I updated my profile picture on social media.

One of my favorite comments was, “You look so much like your mother.”

I take that as the highest compliment because I think my mom is kind of awesome.

My mom turned 81 this year and is as active, resourceful, and curious as ever. She recently announced that she had a new job and she was so excited. Every Friday she would be working in a local used bookstore where the proceeds from the sales support the local library.

My mom is a lifelong library user and fan, and the fact that she could not only do something that interests her but also be supporting the library was a perfect fit. She was given a project to organize the American History section and I know she will crush it.

My mom is not afraid to walk 36 holes of golf in a day.

She never comes to a dinner, party, or meeting without an article from a newspaper or magazine or just something of interest that she wants to share with us… 

That’s my mom.

Last week I was having dinner with my mom when she announced…

 “I have a project for us! We are going to fill some potholes!”

Now let me set this story up.  I live in a rural part of the county, our little road is not county maintained - in fact, it's not maintained at all - and we have a lot of potholes.

My mother had clearly noticed the abundance of potholes on our street and she thinks we should do something about it!
She came across an article that described repairing potholes which inspired her to watch a YouTube video on the subject and source the necessary products.

I wasn't surprised that my mom wanted to tackle this project together, because, well, that is my mother!

She figured she would only need a couple of things. And #1 on that list would be that she needed my approval...

And of course, my response was, “Yeah! We are going to do this!" Because well... I am my mother’s daughter!

So, why am I telling you this story today? 

It’s almost Thanksgiving and this is traditionally the time of year where people think deeply about gratitude. 

I think about my mother and how much of who I am today is shaped by who she is. Not only in my DNA, but through her influence on my curiosity, my resourcefulness, my optimism, my full engagement, and my love of life. That’s my mom.

Who are the people who have inspired you and helped to shape who you are? And is there something you want to say to them?
Maybe like me, it’s a family member. Or perhaps a mentor, friend, or colleague.

This Thanksgiving, as we think about what we are grateful for, I encourage you to share your gratitude with the people in your life. Share the love! 

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving.