There are so many women who inspire me that I found myself agonizing about writing this blog entry. Of course because writing is such a big part of what we do at Brilliant Ink, I thought of two of my favorite authors, Jane Austen and Zora Neale Hurston. Both of these women broke new ground and challenged stereotypes of the day, with beautifully crafted novels that draw you in with engaging and inspiring characters.
I also thought about one of my favorite political activists and social figures, Eleanor Roosevelt. I highly recommend her old newspaper column, My Day, published from 1936-1962.
Instead I’d like to dedicate this blog to someone who is even more inspiring to me: my mom.
I recently became a mother myself and this experience revealed to me, to an even greater extent, just how amazing my own mom is. I could go on about all the reasons I admire her, but I’ll focus on a couple of practical things (and one of them won’t be her fabulously yummy lasagna).
Kill ‘em with kindness. This is something my mom said to me at least 500,000 times, and it is probably the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. When I was a kid, my mom said that the best way to deal with someone who was being difficult was to use this approach. If someone is nasty to you, be doubly sweet to him or her. Not only is it extremely effective in helping you get your point across, but it is a great way to needle your opponent! The secondary message from my mom was that if someone was being unkind, it was probably because something else was going on in his or her life to make them act this way. It’s a simple message of understanding and forgiveness.
Work hard. My mom was a model example of working hard. She worked at a variety of jobs to support our family, and I rarely remember her complaining about it. Then she would come home, make dinner, clean the house, and most importantly make time to be a great mom to me and my brother. I have a new appreciation for working moms now that I am one myself – it’s stressful and wonderful all at the same. All of the things she did to balance the necessities of earning a paycheck while still making her kids feel like they were the most important thing in the world inspires me to keep going every day.
Read everything. This is something I also saw my mom model from the day I was born. She reads everything. And I mean everything. Several months ago, she sent an email to me about the Hadron Collider, well before it was all over the news. I won’t explain what it is (you can follow the link if you want), but let’s just say it’s something you wouldn’t expect a retired mom in rural Indiana to know a lot about. And she instilled a love of reading in me from an early age. Every week, we went to the library and loaded up on new books. Every night, she would read to my brother and me. The point here is that there is so much out there to learn about, if you take the time to just read. It’s safe to say that the reason I am a writer and communicator is because my mom taught me to love words.
Here’s to all of the women who inspire us – and a special shout out to my favorite lady, Sandy Horn. You rock, Mom.
@janni10
Me and my awesome mom.
3 Comments
Janice, you look like a movie star. I’m probably not supposed to say anything that remotely comes close to a compliment about your appearance because we work together but it’s true. My mother rocks too btw.
Thanks, Mat. You are too kind
I was really glad to read the article you wrote about your Mom. I too, have been inspired by this wonderful person. I call her “my best friend” and the sister of my heart. From our early days to the present she has been a loyal friend and someone I could always count on. Sandy Horn you are the best.