Well, maybe every other day, because when she tells a story, no detail is left unsaid. My Dad and I have been accused of being 'rude' because we interject things like "you already said that" and "I'm sorry, what was the point?". She's never deterred though. She just sighs and tries to do it without the detail, but she can't. She's too consistent.
Great bloggers are consistent.
Her favorite joke is about two birds sitting on a boat. One named Pete and one named RePete. She tells you that Pete falls off the boat. "Who's left??" she asks. You unsuspectingly respond with a hesitant 'Re-Pete?' and she finds great joy in starting the joke all over. You can't make that kind of thing up. She is FUNNY!
Great bloggers are funny.
My mom supports small businesses. She's kept the same housekeepers, handymen, and dry cleaners for years because she is a loyal customer. If she likes your product, she will buy it. She will stay in situations longer than she needs to just because once-upon-a-time she believed in you. And when others stopped, she didn't.
When I told her that it wasn't normal for her nail polish to chip after one day, I also asked her how her long-time manicurist stayed in business. She told me that it was because Mimi is mild natured. "AND," she added rather matter-of-factly, "Mimi has a lot of special needs and elderly clientele".
My mom likes that Mimi will fix your nails if you mess them up before you leave. So I ask her if Mimi fixes the nails that Mimi messes up. And Mom doesn't think that's funny. Not even a little bit.
My mom would be a great blogger because she's someone who truly wants people to know how she thinks. She doesn't just type about it, she lives it. In fact, one of her favorite phrases is, "is there a manager I can speak to?". Good or bad, she actually fills out customer feedback surveys. She is a marketers dream--if you can find her. Because she's not online. Which makes her opinion her own. And more credible.
Great bloggers have a credible opinion.
For her, receipts are not just pieces of paper. For her, they are a guarantee that your product is what you say it is. So she keeps every single one and she will absolutely return an item if it fails. In fact, when she received notice that one of our cars was involved in a large class action suit for maintenance issues, she dutifully responded by pulling all maintenance receipts and sending them in. A hefty 5-figure refund check arrived in the mail a few months later. My mom wasn't surprised. She was vindicated.
My mom is the epitome of what we should all strive to be. Namely, someone who cares. Someone who listens...to EVERYBODY.
Most lessons in the home are taught by observation. I spent almost 6 years away from home and the entire time I wondered what I was missing. Little did I know, the entire time I was doing things the way my mother does. I clean the way she cleans (in piles), and I fold sheets the way she folds sheets (with all the pieces stuck in the middle). I even show love the same way that my mother shows love. Turns out, I've learned a lot from my mom without her telling me I needed to learn it. And without me even realizing I've picked it up.
And when I think about it like that, I could be doing a lot worse. I'm so grateful the lessons I learned from my mother are ones that I'm proud to say I'm repeating. She's a role model.
We need more role models in the blogosphere.
If my mom had a blog, I'd read it (almost) every day. Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!
Comments