In case you didn’t know, last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Yes, that was sarcasm. While most people were busy updating their profile pictures and sharing their Mother’s Day plans on social networking sites, I was busy in Vegas trying to pretend that the day didn’t exist. I purposely picked this weekend to make travel plans because I knew that the more distracted I was the better off I would end up being.
For the past 4 years, I have dreaded the months of April and May. There’s so much build-up to Mother’s Day that you can’t go anywhere without being struck upside the head with it. And before you try telling me that after 4 years, these holidays should be getting easier please know that I WILL hurt you if you say that. In the last 4 years I have reached milestones and experienced profound heartaches that make me miss my mom even more than I do on a daily basis. While these days don’t usually knock me over for extended periods of time anymore, they still hurt my heart.
As April comes to an end, I usually make minor adjustments to my life in order to cope. I stop watching live TV, my trigger finger is ready to change the radio dial in the event of a commercial break, and I avoid the grocery store like the plague (it can be emotionally draining to be stuck in the checkout line with magazine headlines screaming at you). This year, however, I unexpectedly found myself engrossed in a “Who the Bleep” marathon on the Investigation Discovery Channel while multi-tasking on my phone and before I knew what was happening, a commercial break hit.
Cue the entertainment.
Up pops at 1-800-Flowers commercial (or a ProFlowers, but that’s not really the point) reminding me that Mother’s Day was right around the corner (as if I could possibly forget). And then comes the line that stuck in my head and caused an uncontrollable fit of emotional rollercoaster-ness – “guaranteed to make mom smile.” Does anyone know how they can prove that?
I immediately wondered if there was a money-back guarantee…and if I could sue them for false advertising. And then I realized that my mom was probably laughing right there with me. And then I became slightly bitter that I really didn’t know if she was. And then I became sad that I couldn’t hand her flowers of any kind anymore. And then…and then…and then “Who the Bleep” came back on.
My point is this – cherish the days you have with the ones you love. Live, laugh, love out loud. And always, always remember that everyone has a story.
For now, I’m just incredibly grateful that it’s over for at least another 364 days – I was running out of groceries.
