Turning 21

Dear son,

Twenty years ago, when I first held into my arms, like all other mothers, I was certain that I held a potential Einstein in my arms. You were a bundle of limitless potential and boundless imagination. I imagined you growing up one day, imagined you being all that I could not be. You have to understand son, we humans are strange. We create mini-mes, in the hope that they will be a better version of us. The moment I saw you, you became my world, that is till your brother was born. Every moment spent with you has been a learning process. I know they say parenting is difficult, but parenting is also very rewarding. Loving someone unconditionally, having the opportunity to create a person - a thinking, loving person, is a fulfilling job that I hope one day you will get to experience.

As you are entering the threshold of adulthood, I want to thank you for teaching me patience, for expanding my universe. I love to see the world through your eyes, to learn about things you love, and to grow. I apologize for not being the perfect parent, but I am wiser now that in knowing that I always did the best that I could. And being a mother, how can I resist the temptation of giving you advice on life?  I know I am limited on how much advice I am allocated to give you  and will stick to the ones that I find relevant for you.

 Son, it is a scary big world out there ---- wish I could say that. Was just kidding.

1. Life is beautiful. But beauty is in the eyes of the  beholder. What you think, you believe, is what you see and get. And sometimes it is the other way too. You love and find beauty in things you get- even in shit and believe me, you will be served with it at some time or other in life. We all do - no escaping it. Even your body knows it.  Yet, it is the only way of knowing when the going was good. You always need bad days to appreciate the good ones.

2. No matter how prepared you are for living, you are never prepared for it. Life has a way of catching you off guard. It always rains, when you are not carrying your umbrella. Learn to enjoy the rain. Learn to dance in the rain. Yes, you will be uncomfortable, and cold and maybe the grey skies will deceive you into thinking that the sun will never shine again ( I feel that often), but remember, that the sun is always shining, only we are not able to see it from where we are standing. Take one day at a time.

3. Plan a flexible plan. You may not reach where you want to, but it is aways good to be on a road to somewhere. Although my experience forces me to warn you  that your plan and the universe's plan might not be on the same page. All you can do is go with the flow. Keep your plans flexible. 10 years from now, you will be surprised where you end up. I hope I will be pleasantly surprised too.

4. Career, love, life, dreams, all are waiting for you. Life is not perfect, you are not perfect, but you will learn to gather happiness along the way. Life is waiting for you. Embrace it, or better still dance with it. Remember, everything else is secondary. Living - living every moment in awareness, with a purpose gives meaning to live. Life without meaning is merely existing.

5. Where ever you go, whatever you do, remember I am there. Invest in relations, in honest, truthful relations. We are all, always walking on the fine line between right and wrong - listen to your soul. 

So son, go ahead and make a difference in this world. It might seem scary, but remember as you are trapezing through this new world of being adult, I am there as your safety net, even long after you don't need it.

Love always,


Your mom