I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. -Maya Angelou

I’m learning that I still have a lot to learn.

Anything I ever let go of had claw marks on it.

-David Foster Wallace

Picking out a mother’s day card for a mom you don’t have a good relationship with. THAT’S TOUGH. I spent 20 minutes of my life in the store trying to decide what exactly it is I’m trying to convey. All these cards had all these wonderful things about mother’s on them that I’ve never experienced with my mom. Why don’t they make a card that says what I’m trying to convey: I’m morally obligated to give you a card on mothers day because you’re still my mother.

I always feel like such a douche when everyone asks me what I’m doing for my mom for Mother’s Day. What the hell do people who have terrible relationships with their mother say to that question? This isn’t exactly a big day to celebrate having “the world’s greatest mom” and to brag on how amazingly loving, supportive and awesome our moms are. Let’s be real, some of us have mom’s that just aren’t making the cut. I mean it’s not like I hate my mom or anything like that but we just don’t click, and honestly, we’ve never had that mother-daughter relationship that I see so many of my friends have with their moms. I envy them for that.  I know that a mother supposedly develops a deep bond with their child from the moment their conceived, but either I’m adopted or we missed that boat. My only hope is that one day we can have some sort of relationship. 

So this is for the kids with the crappy moms. We save money on gifts they won’t appreciate, and I can spend most of tomorrow napping without having to wait in long lines  at restaurants because we can’t cook. I think that’s a win. 

Assumptions. It’s crazy how society, prior experiences and our environment and upbringing can really mold our assumptions; not only our assumptions about others, but about ourselves and our future experiences. Sometimes assumptions can be good and even accurate, but often times, they aren’t. What’s wild is how our assumptions (good or bad) shape our life experiences. 

I know for me, growing up the way I did, I’ve lived a good chunk of my life kind of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Never really being able to enjoy life and always kind of assuming that things can never work out for me in a good way and that I don’t deserve all the good life has to give.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned I’m learning about life it’s to never assume anything. The people I’ve never thought I could relate to or learn from, and the experiences that I went into expecting the worst, are the ones that have shaped me the most and the ones I’ve learned the most from.