Just 3 ways I want to be like Mom

My mom, 91, is fit as a fiddle and happy as a clam

She’s indecisive; I’m decisive. She’s a worrier; I’m not. She’s compassionate; I’m not that either, unfortunately. But she is my mom. And even though we’ve always been different in many ways, I hope to become like her in all the good ways. Here are just three:

1. Be healthy. Mom is happy to tell you that she stretches for 20 minutes and walks for 40 minutes every day. My siblings and I scold her for walking on busy streets with no sidewalks, but she can’t be kept down. She says walking around her living complex is just “too boring.” Her only concession is to carry that silly “walking stick” of hers. In addition to exercise, her college degree in nutrition is also paying off. She knows how to eat right while still enjoying “schnoopies” (treats) now and then.
2. Think about others. Instead of becoming overly focused on her aging process, as many elderly people do, Mom quickly turns our phone conversations to “How are you doing?” Not only does she delight in every one of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but she also still invites neighbors and friends in for meals and games.
3. Endure to the end. When she was a little girl, Mom used to pray to see the “end of the world.” I guess her prayers are being answered because she has no intention of leaving this world anytime soon. “There are too many things I want to see unfold,” she says. She’s so plugged into life, in fact, that she had literally never thought about herself dying until a few years ago when she attended the funeral of her friend from high school. “I guess I’m going to die someday, too,” she realized for the first time in her life! But more than just living a long life, she’s enduring to the end well. She still lifts and builds others, she still serves others the best she can, and she still is true to her beliefs. 

I’ll never be mistaken for being just like my mom, but maybe during the next 40 years, I can develop some of her great qualities. 

Do you have a mother you want to emulate?