I was driving to work this morning. I saw a sign for the "Senior Games" here in Raleigh. The Senior Games are competitions for senior citizens. They compete in all kinds of sports and competitions. I suddenly had the memory of my mom at a Senior Games... one of my favorite and funniest memories of her. And one of the ways to best describe her otherwise indescribable sense of humor.
Mom wasn't competing in the games that year. She had competed the year before with her tap dance group The Silver Tappers. This particular year they hadn't made it to the competition, but some of her friends were performing so she came to town with some other tappers to watch. I decided to surprise her by showing up at the show. I got there just before intermission. I stood in back of the room and started scanning the crowd for her. To be honest there were just an abundance of white haired ladies in the room, and I couldn't find her. Then the emcee started talking about all the volunteers that had made the show possible. She asked if all the volunteers would stand up for some applause. Just then I spotted my mom. She stood up in the crowd, and was laughing and waving. I hadn't known she was a volunteer with the show, but it didn't seem impossible.
Shortly after they announced intermission. I saw where she was heading and met her at the door. We did our little happy dance at seeing one another and walked out into the lobby. I explained how I had spotted her. And she starts laughing. She says "well, let me tell you..." Apparently she had not volunteered. They started talking about the volunteers standing and she says to the friends next to her "Watch this" and she snickers... she proceeds to stand up, wave to the crowd and get applause. Despite having no connection to the goings on.
That was mom... silly and fun and always wanting something to laugh about. She was willing and able to make her own fun at the drop of a hat. I have moments that I am the same way, but often I feel I do not live up to the example she set for me. Too often I whine or mope or accept less for myself... when I deserve more. She didn't live that way. I shouldn't either.
Today I laughed at work a bit, thanks to the French Canadian dude, felt a ray of hope that it didn't have to suck, at least not completely. Then I dragged my fat ass to the gym when I didn't feel like it, and laughed and smiled all the way through dancing and sweating. I even got to play on stage with some other students during a cool down. :) I weighed, and was depressed as hell for a few minutes. I've worked so hard to lose weight and get in shape... just to have gained weight during my unemployment. But after class, I sat in my car and thought "Don't get depressed, don't get mad. Do something. And find a way to have fun doing it." And for thoughts like that I thank my mom.
