I only have twenty-one days left here in Ghana. This seems absolutely crazy to me because I still so vividly remember being in the airport getting ready to leave. I remember going through security and the huge mess that made of my perfectly packed carry on. As I was putting my things back in, I found a letter that my mom had snuck into it.
It’s a cute little card that she decorated herself and the first part of the note is simple + straightforward, as most notes from my mother are. It covers the basics, a list of normal mom things: Be safe, wear your sunscreen (if you know my mom, you know this is a #1 priority at all times), take your malaria meds, etc. When I went off to college, she wrote me basically the same list, sans malaria pills. This note, however, has an extra sentence on the bottom, “I love you tons and am so proud of you for doing the big bold things!” It’s a simple sentence but one that means the absolute world to me. In fact, it’s meant so much to me that I’ve carried it with me everywhere I’ve gone. It’s been with me up mountains, across borders, to the beach. You can see as the photos progress, it’s taken quite the beating but I love it❤
My explorative spirit hasn’t been easy on my mom. She was so worried when I went on my high school trip to France and my traveling has only escalated from there. From traveling through Europe at nineteen with just a backpack and a friend, to studying abroad in Ghana, to my upcoming six weeks in Peru, I’ve put her through quite a bit. I’m a big fan of having my independence and if we’re being honest here, I kinda like keeping my parents on their toes. Therefore, I’m really shitty about updating her on what I’m doing.
My mom found out that I’d switched my study abroad program to Ghana via a Pinterest board I made (sorry mom, I did fully intend to call you about it!). I tend to make spontaneous decisions regarding plane ticket purchases and then text her about it afterward. She freaked out a bit the first time I did this, I had talked about backpacking Europe from the moment I got back from France but I don’t think my parents actually thought I was going to go through with it…until I forwarded my mom my flight itinerary. She was a little upset and I replied with a long and slightly sassy text about how I was going to go see the world and I wasn’t asking for her permission nor did I need it (admittedly, maybe not the best response to a worried mother but if you know me, you know I love being sassy😉). But now, when she gets a text, “Hey mom! Guess what? I’m going to Peru this summer!! Love you:)” she just goes with it.
This just goes to show how incredible she is! Every. Single. Time. She drives me the two and a half hours to O’hare’s international terminal and buys us a margarita flatbread + dessert to share then gives me a hug goodbye and watches me go off into the world. I know, as I walk away, that I have her full support despite the fact that she’s worried about me and knows full well I’m going to do things she would disapprove of. Then she comes back, however long, later to pick me up and buys me Panera on the way home. She does all of this and never once has complained about all of the time she wastes and money she spends just to drive me to and from the airport. When it comes to traveling, it’s the one sure thing I can count on, my mom will always be there to see me off and pick me up if I need her to be.
“I am so proud of you for doing the big bold things!” is the part of her letter that has struck me the most. I learned about doing the “big bold things” from my mom. I’ve watched my mom work hard my whole life so my sisters and I could have adventurous childhoods. We’ve gone on so many family vacations and road trips and she’s always made sure we had new experiences during them, like horseback riding, paddle boarding, or going up in a hot air balloon. She has always encouraged my sisters and me to try new things and has given us the freedom and space to explore our interests and the world around us. It means so much to me that she is proud of me. This life I’m creating for myself isn’t one that everyone understands, I don’t think my mom even fully understands it. Nevertheless, she has backed me and my choices which is something that I’m really grateful for.
I’ve often been told that I look and sound like my mom, something I one hundred thousand percent take as a compliment. I strive to be like my mom. She’s accepting, hard-working, smart, and she carries herself with an incredible confidence. I do big and bold things because I’ve watched my mom do big bold things and she has instilled in me the mindset that I can too.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!! I love YOU tons and am really proud of YOU for doing big bold things too. Can’t wait to see you in 21 days!
Hugs,
Elisabeth
