How I became a person
Pretty much ever since I was born, I've heard the words, "Oh, you look just like your father!" coming out everyone's mouths - strangers, family, relatives, friends.
It makes me happy, to hear those words. I look like my father. I can see the similarities for myself. The long nose, the thin, overarching eyebrows, the way our cheekbones draw in and the sides of our eyes crinkle when we smile.
The similarities are not skin deep. I've noticed our matching, even tempers, our preference for inane humour, our passion for economics and football, among other things.
People keep pointing out how very similar we are.
But there's so much more to me than just that. Parts of me and sides of me that I discover as I grow older. Those parts and those sides that my reflect my mother.
I've watched her since I was born, and from her, I've imbibed my thirst for knowledge, my pursuit of perfection, my need to complete a task to my satisfaction once I've started it.
From her I learnt to read, to follow my dreams, to think and achieve the nigh impossible, to let my hair down once in a while, to smile and to cry when the time is right. I learnt to keep my chin up and my head held high. I learnt not to compromise, and to sacrifice.
I have learnt to support myself and those around me. I have learnt the value of silence, to live without judgement and reproach. I have learnt to be strong. I have learnt what it is to be a woman, and what it is to be human. I've learnt patience, and kindness, and what not to do when I'm angry. I've learnt to love, and to withdraw, to share and to help.
And the list goes on and on and you may wonder what relevance any of it has, and I could explain to you, that these are the small, irrelevant things that make up a human being. These are the things that make me, who I am. I was born, looking like my father, and my mother moulded me into a person.
So yes, I know I'm like Dad, and that makes me proud, so very very proud. But even if it's not apparent to the world, it's pretty evident to me, that I'm quite like Mom, and that makes me just as proud.
Shame I didn't get my mom's looks though. I'm sure there's a me in an alternate universe somewhere, totally pulling off my mom's nose.
It makes me happy, to hear those words. I look like my father. I can see the similarities for myself. The long nose, the thin, overarching eyebrows, the way our cheekbones draw in and the sides of our eyes crinkle when we smile.
The similarities are not skin deep. I've noticed our matching, even tempers, our preference for inane humour, our passion for economics and football, among other things.
People keep pointing out how very similar we are.
But there's so much more to me than just that. Parts of me and sides of me that I discover as I grow older. Those parts and those sides that my reflect my mother.
I've watched her since I was born, and from her, I've imbibed my thirst for knowledge, my pursuit of perfection, my need to complete a task to my satisfaction once I've started it.
From her I learnt to read, to follow my dreams, to think and achieve the nigh impossible, to let my hair down once in a while, to smile and to cry when the time is right. I learnt to keep my chin up and my head held high. I learnt not to compromise, and to sacrifice.
I have learnt to support myself and those around me. I have learnt the value of silence, to live without judgement and reproach. I have learnt to be strong. I have learnt what it is to be a woman, and what it is to be human. I've learnt patience, and kindness, and what not to do when I'm angry. I've learnt to love, and to withdraw, to share and to help.
And the list goes on and on and you may wonder what relevance any of it has, and I could explain to you, that these are the small, irrelevant things that make up a human being. These are the things that make me, who I am. I was born, looking like my father, and my mother moulded me into a person.
So yes, I know I'm like Dad, and that makes me proud, so very very proud. But even if it's not apparent to the world, it's pretty evident to me, that I'm quite like Mom, and that makes me just as proud.
Shame I didn't get my mom's looks though. I'm sure there's a me in an alternate universe somewhere, totally pulling off my mom's nose.
Thanks sweetheart u have made me proud of me. Excellent writing.
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