Thursday, May 20, 2010

They Inspire Me

(This is where I come from.)


I am often overwhelmed by SUMS large extended family. He has aunts and uncles and cousins and second-cousins and third-cousins twice removed coming out his ass. Crude expression, but true. We can't go anywhere in the county without bumping into a relative or meeting someone and then low and behold they turn out to be a relative. This is at times confusing but at the same time wonderful. To share a lineage and be so spread out. You know one thing for sure that if you're a part of his clan, you'll never have an empty table at Thanksgiving.

Then you have my family. These two women above. My mother and grandmother. All I have in the world, except for this husband and these children we created. I wrote a post last year on Mother's Day especially for these incredible mothers of mine. It's one of my favorites and worth a read in my humble opinion.

Lately I've been thinking about inspiration. What inspires me? What causes me to act like I do, think the way I think? What inspires my taste in clothing, house decor, wine, beer, & paint colors? And the more I think about it the more the answer is right in front of me, or more or less behind me. I'm just standing somewhat luckily in a line of great taste and colorful personalities. I act like my grandmother, sarcastically joking and doling out discipline to get through the day. I think like both of them. The seriousness of my mother and the acceptance of my grandmother. My taste is so ingrained and so similar to my mother that we picked the same paint color for the boys room at separate times, independent of each other. I find nothing wrong with any of this. I look at these two and feel like I hit the genetic jackpot. I'm proud of them, even if that sounds a little backwards.

The other evening I was sitting on the back porch with J, sharing a bottle of wine and catching up. I had been talking about my running and then moved into being somewhat of a recluse (because I kind of am). She remarked that I was just like my mother. I grinned. I couldn't help it. That, to me, is the best compliment of all.

4 comments:

  1. Inspiring indeed. :) A small circle is better than no circle. Your ma has always been a recluse, but I do wish you could have known her when she wasn't always so serious... when she would break out singing & dancing just because "Centerfold" came on the radio. Or decided it would be interesting to chew tobacca with her stepchild on a long road trip....

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  2. Here from Say Anything. Love your blog and love your sister! I'm a new fan!

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  3. "genetic jackpot" - I love that line!

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  4. I think I'm turning more and more into my mother and grandmother, and I really am enjoying the ride. My mom and grandmother are (and were. Grandmother passed several years ago) big laughers and have a huge zest for life. I couldn't think of two better women to model myself after.

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