Easily Excitable

A few years ago, Momma told me something that split my world in two. I’m still in recovery. 

Here it is: 

When she was younger- ninth grade, maybe?- she broke her arm on a motorcycle. 

When she told me this, I remember stopping in my tracks. 

My momma…on a motorcycle…do WHAT now? 

You mean to tell me…

That my mother…

Who grows zinnias-

Can match a bolt of cloth to any rug- 

Loves white Keds- 

Picks and puts together her own Christmas greenery- 

Dressed up as a Berenstein bear for the Book Parade- 

And drove not one, but TWO green minivans-

That mother- MY MOMMA- she rode a motorcycle? 

You could have knocked me over with a feather, folks: that my Momma had a life- a life with MOTORCYCLES- before me? Before she had kids?! 

WHAT?!

Talk about fathoming the unfathomable.

Similarly odd is the fact that my friends have started having little ones. 

And with them, it’s the reverse! 

I can imagine this group in beach chairs at Gulf Shores, at the great Frankie Ballard concert of 2014, on a pontoon boat at the lake, beside the grill on the back porch of our college house. 

I see them in my mind’s eye, and then I see their little miniatures running around at our friend get-togethers now. 

You mean…they are moms…like…with kids now?!

Well, isn’t life just peculiar!

But one day, we’ll tell some of those stories, and the kids will overhear.

And surely their little ones will have to be a little taken aback that their moms lived life before they came along. 

After all, we only ever know our moms as…well…our moms. 

What a shock to stop and consider that your mom is a person outside of you and had a life before you. 

I mean, sure, maybe we know it with our heads.

But when that knowledge sinks down to your heart and soul- such as hearing that your mom once rode motorcycles- isn’t THAT a mind-boggling experience.

But why? 

Why is it so hard to imagine that your mom could be anything other than the woman who tucked you in at night? 

Why is that so hard, particularly when we’re young? 

Well, for starters, no one is more self-absorbed than a child/ teenager. 

I live and move amongst the gen pop in the high school halls. I know their hearts and minds. 

Also (and this might shock you), I was once a child and a teenager too. 

My world revolved around me, so didn’t everyone else’s, as well? 

I couldn’t imagine Momma having a life outside of me because I couldn’t really see outside of myself at all. 

But here’s another reason, too: 

There is no other job or role where one feels another’s pain/ celebrations more acutely than a mother with her child. 

One of God’s holiest works was forming a deep empathy in moms for their kids. It’s an empathy that, to some degree, unites two people as one. 

There’s one heartline that runs a child’s emotions back to her Momma. 

That’s the case even now, as I’m about to turn 30. 

If you thought the whole ‘growing up’ gig would change things, well…think again. 

Momma came to a pickleball tournament a few months ago to watch Trey and me play. When I asked her what she thought, her response was this: 

“Oh, I enjoyed it. I just hated to see you mess up- especially when I could tell it upset you.”

Only a Momma (specifically, my Momma) would be more concerned with my emotions around missing a shot, rather than my making a bad shot in general. 

No one will ever feel your hurt, pride in your celebrations, or bear your struggles like your momma. 

Our mothers gave us space in their bodies, and now, we get a little personal space in their hearts, too. 

Parenting is a sacrificial act in and of itself. 

Do I believe dads sacrifice, too? Absolutely. 

But, from what I can see, motherhood requires a more personal sacrifice, as it’s a sacrifice of self. 

For moms, life suddenly revolves around things like…

• Pick ups and drop-offs, 
• Three square meals and snacks for everyone
• Entertaining little ones 
• Teacher gifts for the beginning, middle, and end of the year
• Attendance on field days and honors nights
• Snacks for rec sports.

Simply put, where even is the time for yourself?

To become a mother is to surrender yourself for the good of your family. 

For us, our moms yield their bodies and their time,

their effort and their attention, 

their energy and their patience,

their sleep and their agendas.

It’s easy to forget that our Mommas had a life before us because they give up so much of their lives for us. 

There is no more selfless act than motherhood. 

What an interesting thing that moms sacrifice their hopes, careers, dreams, and aspirations to on the altar of raising their kids to have a better life. 

And maybe that’s why we intrinsically love our mothers so much, and why we come to appreciate them so much when we get older.  

I hope we recognize the weightiness of Mother’s Day because the job of a mother is the heaviest load that exists in this life. 

So, in preparation for Mother’s Day, 

To all the moms out there, please know I appreciate you. 

I notice you. 

And this weekend, I celebrate you. 

What you do matters, even when it seems like it doesn’t, or when it seems like your contributions are overlooked. 

And to my own Momma: I love you, and in my heart, you still ride a motorcycle.

Share, scroll down and follow, or scream it from the mountaintops: whatever you choose to do with what you just read, know that I appreciate your time!