This week, I want to share a lovely little story about a mom’s awakening.
I wanted to write about a wonderful meditation practice this week for Wednesday Wisdom and I had almost finished writing it up. Just then, one of my classmates posted this story in our group.
I read it once and then, I read it again. What a great way to deliver so many life lessons in a simple way!
Pretty sure you will enjoy it too. Read on!
A Mom’s Awakening
My mom had a lot of problems. She did not sleep well and she was exhausted. She was irritable, grumpy, and bitter. She was always sick, until one day, suddenly, she changed.
The situation was the same, but she was different.
It was a bright and sunny morning. She was sipping her coffee.
My dad said to her:
I’ve been looking for a job for three months and I haven’t found anything, I’m going to have a few beers with friends.
My mom replied:
It’s okay.
My brother said to her:
Mom, I’m doing poorly in all the subjects at the University …
My mom replied:
Okay, you will recover, and if you don’t, well, you repeat the semester, but you pay the tuition.
My sister said to her:
Mom, I hit the car.
My mom replied:
Okay dear, take it to the workshop, figure out how to pay for it and while they fix it, get around by bus or subway.
Her daughter-in-law said to her:
Ma, I am coming over to spend a few months with you.
My mom replied:
Sure! You can sleep on the living room couch – blankets are in the closet.
Worried about my mom’s reaction, all of us gathered at her house.
We suspected that she had gone to the doctor, who may have prescribed 1000 mg pills called “I don’t give a damn”.
And what’s more, maybe she took an overdose of it!
We decided to intervene and maybe help her out of any possible addiction towards this anti-tantrum medication.
But as we gathered around her, my mom explained:
“It took me a long time to realize that each one of you is responsible for your own life and it took me years to discover that my anguish, my mortification, my depression, my courage, my insomnia, and my stress—none of these could solve your problems but aggravated mine.
I am not responsible for the actions of others, but I am responsible for my own reactions to them.
So, I came to the conclusion that my duty to myself is to remain calm and let each one solve whatever problem they faced.
I went for yoga classes and various other courses related to meditation, miracles, human development, mental hygiene, vibration and neuro-linguistic programming. In all of them, I found a common denominator: finally, they all lead to the same point.
And, it is that I can only interfere—you have all the necessary resources to solve your own lives.
I can only give you my advice if you ask me and whether or not you want to follow it is up to you.
So, from now on, I cease to be the receptacle of your responsibilities, the sack of your guilt, the laundress of your remorse, the advocate of your faults, the wall of your lamentations, the depository of your duties. I am not the one to solve your problems or fulfill your responsibilities.
From now on, I declare you all independent and self-sufficient adults.”
As she finished her speech, everyone was speechless.
From that day on, the family began to function better, because everyone in the house knows exactly what it is that they need to do.
Is it not wonderful to let go?
♥
I would love to hear your take on this little story.
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Wednesday Wisdom is a series with short bursts of easy-to-consume wisdom in the form of inspiring stories, verse, quotes, anecdotes, reflections, easy meditation, thought-provoking questions and humor. Yeah, some days are not so short.
7 comments
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I laughed out loud at this story when the kids thought she had taken pills! It is so wonderful when someone reaches the realization that we cannot control everything, we can only control how we react to things.
We cannot control anyone else, we can only control ourselves. This is something that took me a while to learn and I am a much better person for it.
The story drives home such an important point of parenting. And this is something which is not only for parenting but also something that is important even in the corporate sector. Many managers believe that they need to micromanage work and fail to delegate. They do not nurture and groom their subordinates which in many ways is similar to hand-holding children beyond a point.
Hi Vidya,
what a delightful read this was. thanks for such a lovely and inspiring post.
Thank you so much, Koyel
Hi Vidya,
Wow, thanks for posting this. It was inspiring and really hit home with me. I am a mom of three kids, younger than the ones in the story. I can totally relate to the woman. My problem is letting go. But since my boys are still quite young, I still have to do certain things for them. Like when my 3-year-old hurt his toe pretty bad and I had to play his doctor/nurse. It made me feel good that he needed his mom and I could save him from the pain and make him feel better. This did open my eyes though to how much I should be letting the older ones take responsibility for themselves.
Christine recently posted…Living life with intention | why it’s important & how to set one.
Hey Vidya,
I have gone through most of the post on your blog. This one was really above all of them. I felt so connected to this story as it reminds me of some moments in past. You are really a great writer and know how to touch that exact emotion and that’s why I felt connected to this. It was such an emotional & inspirational post. Thanks for sharing. Keep posting.