“Wait a minute, wait a minute.. you started training in April and ran a 5k in May?!”

I nodded, beaming.  It even astounded me. 

There was no good reason for me to pick up running.  I just decided that I wanted to do it.  So I did.

I get that from my mom.

My mom was constantly discovering new amazing talents that surprised even her.  One day, she got tired of spending good money on hair accessories for us.  She just hated that they never quite matched, and LAWD, they were expensive.  We didn’t always have that kind of money.  But she wanted her girls to look like we did.

So she started making hairbows.

And she was GOOD at it.  And not just good, but good enough that she started doing trade shows and church sales and made the rounds as “BowJangles”, and people LOVED her stuff.  My personal fave was a bow she made out of comic strips.  She was savvy enough to grab a dated comic strip (say, a birthday or an anniversary) and make a precious bow out of it.  She was Etsy before Etsy was invented.

Then we got older and she decided that she wanted to stay involved in other ways through our lives.  We were heavily involved in local theatre, and Mom didn’t sew or act or sing, so she sat out for a season or so until she found something she COULD do. 

So she decided to be a graphic designer.

And she was GOOD at it.  I mean, really good.  She designed most of the posters for the shows we performed in, as well as the programs and often the tickets.  She had an uncanny knack for unusual color combinations, and made stock clip art look hand-drawn and unique.  She educated herself at home, through books and online courses, and now she’s in high demand for her artistry in graphic design.

My mother has this amazing skill for just deciding she wants to do something and becoming insanely proficient at it.  Sure, this may apply itself in odd forms .. growing up, Zelda was a source of disdain because the tv was off-limits until Mom had solved the damn game .. but for the most part, it resulted in beautiful and ethereal creations that, to this day, I am grateful and amazed to have witnessed.  And incredibly jealous that I cannot replicate.

But the zest for succeeding?

I get that from my mom.

Happy Birthday, Mommy Dearest.  You are everything an Italian mother should be, with a dose of southern grace for good measure.  Thank you for everything you’ve given me and my family.  I hope this birthday is the best yet, but overshadowed by the ones to come.  I love you.

(My mom reads this blog religiously.  It would be AWESOME if everyone could visit here .. even from the feed reader .. and wish her a happy birthday in the comments.  She would be ecstatic!)(Also, tell her how awesome her daughter is.)(No, ME, not the other daughter.)