Writing 101: Unlock the Mind

I decided to upgrade my writing skills by taking the Writing 101 course on Word Press. The first assignment is to “Unlock Your Mind” by writing for 20 minutes straight with no real purpose so here goes…

What makes people do the things they do? Why will one person go with the flow while another person pitches a fit at the smallest things? Are we bound to be like our parents or can we change the outcome of our future by learning from different sources.

When I was young, I felt like my mom was the center of the universe, Super Woman, if you will. In my mind there was nothing she could do wrong and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. My older siblings did not share my enthusiasm and thought she was mean. Now that I am an adult, I have a different way of thinking about her because she no longer is seen as a super hero. I love my mom and will never cast her as a villain, but I wonder why she did some of the things she did. I have always been a sensitive person and kind of empathetic. What makes people tick and why they do the things they do are questions that I need answered. I never wanted to be a therapist per say, but I craved the knowledge. Whenever something happens my first instinct is to ask why or how. I find this a great trait as I pursue a career in writing.

Getting back to my mom, she was hard working and the type of black woman who kept her head down and did not cause trouble. Not to say she was a coward by any means because if trouble found her you could best believe she would annihilate it with ease. What I mean is when she went to work she did her job and as she was told unless it was something absolutely crazy. She was born in the 30’s in rural Virginia and had children at a young age out of wedlock so she had to do what she had to do to survive. Her mom died when she was 12 years old and she had to fend for herself being one of 17 children. As a black female growing up back then she had very limited options on how to earn money. I know she once wanted to be a nurse because she told me when she tried without success to make me study to be one. Mom has always been talented in the kitchen and worked several years in a restaurant in her home town. She has a special way about her when she cooks and can make anything taste amazing! I marveled at her cooking ability when I was young and she shared her gifts with me. I am proud to say I can burn in the kitchen as a result. Even though she could cook anyone out of the kitchen, she never had the ambition to pursue her dreams. As a matter of fact I don’t recall her ever expressing her dreams to her children. This must have seemed like a waste of time for her because she had mouths to feed and dreaming would not do it.

Most of my life I remember her being a maid and serving parties to earn a living. She has done several other jobs to make ends meet, but those were her staples. Thinking back I wonder why she never opened a catering company. She was always volunteering at the church whenever they sold plates and she would cook what seemed like a ton of potato salad, green beans and BBQ chicken. She was always the organizer and delegated who would do what. She was a BOSS in the biggest since of the word when it came to those church sales. I wonder what kind of life she would have if she used those skills to build her own business.