My favorite person

Lydia Olsen
Class of 2016

(5/2013) The best experiences with my mother have been the ones that seem so small in comparison to all she has done for me. The experiences that happen in seconds or moments and stick with you, regardless of the time elapsed, are the ones that mean the most. The little moments are the ones that have the greatest power. They are the ones that make you think a little differently and make you laugh in reminiscence. The best moments in life are the ones shared with loved ones that keep a place in your mind and impact your thoughts and decisions for the rest of your life. Most of these moments for me come from time spent with my mom.

My mom is one of those people who you just want to be around. She lights up a room and fills it with laughter. I have loved spending time with her for as long as I can remember. When I was still in elementary school, I would always fake sick to see her. She is a schoolteacher. While I was in the same school, her classroom was located on the first floor and mine was on the second. I would always act completely sick so that my teacher would write me a pass to the nurse’s office. I would then convince the nurse that my mom had medicine I could take. The nurse wasn’t aware that the medicine I wanted was to actually be with my mom. With a pass in hand, I would go rush down to my mom’s classroom and hang out for as long as I could get away with. After a few times, my mom caught on and told me that I couldn’t come down unless I was actually sick. So I realized I was going to have to be more believable. On the trip down to my mom’s classroom, I would run up and down the stairs multiple times so that my mom might think I was warm with a fever. I don’t think I ever outsmarted her but it was a good try because even when she turned me away, I still got to spend a few moments with her and receive a hug.

In my opinion, I was raised in the best possible way. It was not in a way where rules were strictly set down; rather, my mother let me learn from my mistakes on my own. When I was younger I used to go to brunch with my mom and one of her friends every Sunday morning. The place we went to had an amazing buffet with nearly every type of food one could imagine. Like many children, the healthy options were not appealing to me and I was not easily pleased. Instead of the buffet, I would wait in the line to get a Belgian waffle. When it became my turn to order, the man making the waffles would ask me what kind I would like. There were many options I could choose from, yet I wasn’t exactly interested in a waffle itself. Instead I would ask for a plate of whipped cream. One would often think that this would be a waffle topper, but for me it was an entrée. I would get a plate of whipped cream with sprinkles for brunch and I couldn’t have been more satisfied. To my recollection, my mom never told me I couldn’t do this. I’m sure she warned me of the consequences, but it was a risk I was willing to take. She let me learn the hard way that getting plates of whipped cream weekly causes cavities, an important lesson one must learn.

I have become a well-rounded person because my mom has always been supportive of any goals or dreams I have had. She has literally provided me with everything I have ever needed to make my dreams come true. She enrolled me in endless activities that I expressed interest in and she made time in her busy schedule for my busy schedule. No matter what she had going on, she would be at every swim team meet, every volleyball match, and every lacrosse game I had. From the stands, she would cheer me on and afterwards she would assure me that I did a great job. She has been my motivation and has constantly reminded me that I am capable of anything I set my mind to. That seems so cliché, but it is the truth. Her support has been so powerful to me. It has gotten me through everything in my life so far, from being overwhelmed with schoolwork, to participating in extracurricular activities, to simply following my passions. Her support is what makes me strong and what makes success an option.

My mother is the most thoughtful person I know. She goes out of her way to do nice things and she is always thinking about others over herself in every one of her actions. My absolute favorite memory of my mom being thoughtful was one day during the last two weeks of my high school career. I was about to graduate and we both knew I would be going off to college after the summer. I walked out of my high school one day and was approaching my car when I become extremely puzzled. I found that it was covered in pink sticky-notes. On each sticky-note, a heart had been drawn in that familiar penmanship. I was very perplexed because it was not my birthday or a holiday or a day of any significance. Not at that time at least. I called my mom immediately seeking an answer. All she said was, "I was just thinking about how soon, you will not be close enough for me to do something like this." I found this so thoughtful and sweet. I still have one of the sticky notes inside my car and another hanging over my bed in my dorm. I often look at them and think about how silly my mother’s actions were, but also about how much they meant to me. Sometimes a very small act has the greatest impact.

My mom has easily been the greatest influence on me. She is so beautiful inside and out and I could not be luckier to have her as my mother. In all honesty, the hardest part about being at college is being away from her, but I will carry with me all she has taught me throughout my life.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." It is miraculous how accurately this describes how I feel about my mom. She has shaped me to be who I am now and has helped me discover who I want to be in the future.

Thank you, Mom, for everything that you have constantly done for me. You are my favorite person in the world and I owe all I am to you.

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