For those who celebrate Mother’s Day today, I am going to take a little departure from the usual discussion around creativity.
I will say that mothers are some of the most creative people I know. Mothers have a way of figuring out how to make the best of seemingly terrible circumstances.
When a child had a school project due the next day, mothers are often able to pull school supplies out of seemingly nowhere (or drive to the nearest convenience store that is still open).
When a child is having trouble figuring out their living situation after college, mothers are often there to explain to them the intricacies of the real estate market.
It doesn’t take physically having a child to be a mother. Some of the most important women in my life served as motherly figures, even though they didn’t give birth to me. Being a mother is more about sharing your love with someone and treating them as family would. Women like these have come up with creative ways to make the world just a little bit better, one child at a time.
So, for those of you who have a mother figure in your lives, I encourage you to take a moment and thank them for the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication they have given to you.
I love the creative spin on this, Ryan. Great post! Moms are some of the most creative people in the world.
I realize more and more how creative my mom had to be raising the four of us.
First, she had to be creative with her time. I still don’t know how it’s possible that she worked two jobs, meticulously cleaned house, did laundry for 6 (including ironing and folding), shopped, made meals, was at every piano recital or soccer game we had, was up to wake us up and get us ready, drove us to school every day and was there to pick us up. I wonder — when did she sleep?
For many of the early years, my mother’s “allowance” was $22 a week — with four kids. Yes, she worked from the time we were about 10 and up; but before that, she took a break from work to be even more present during our formative years. On $22 a week, she somehow fed, clothed and drove us, bought medications and glasses, and even allowed for the ice cream truck. It’s was like Della in “The Gift of The Magi.” Financial thrift is it’s own form of creativity.
She also had to be creative emotionally. Every mother has to adapt to the changing moods of each child, as well as to the varied temperaments of different children if they have more than one. “How can I [comfort / get through to / encourage / challenge] THIS one of my kids RIGHT NOW given THESE circumstances?” This is a question a mother is continually needing to answer and address, often on the spot. Talk about creativity!
On top of all that, my mother is actually creative artistically, as well: a wonderful singer, an artist and a painter.
So Happy Mother’s Day to my mom — and all the creative moms and mother figures out there! Your creativity is an inspiration!