Wisdom

For years I have been trying to drive into my Mother's head that she needs to not just hear me but she needs to LISTEN to me in order to truly understand me. Today the phone rings. I answer, and it is my mother. She starts to speak to me about how upset she is that she feels that my generation is being cheated by the state of economic affairs. She is upset that she has devoted her life to the upbringing of my brother and I and her and my father have sacraficed financially for my well being. He voice begins to raise and her statements a bit more and more fury filled. Finally she asks my opinion.

I state, that I choose to take action instead of being upset. I also tell her that I'm well equipped to deal with things that come my way because I have faith in myself and in God, and it is NOT a blind faith. I also tell her that possessing the mentality that "things are bad," and that "things are going to worsen" will only entrench us further. I tell her that I'm secure in knowing that I will always rise above uncertainty and that I will always grow from difficult times because I know that I have the power and the abilities within myself to do so, and my purpose is to live my life for God not for other humans. Where ever I find myself is exactly where God wants me to be.

She was blown away by what I had told her and she started to cry, saying that she is so proud that I think that way and that she feels foolish for being flustered by propaganda.

THEN COMES THE REVELATION

She asks if she can tell me a joke. Hesitant, i agree to listen.

She speaks the following riddle to me.

You are a bus driver. You stop at the corner of 7th and 19th. You pick up 10 passangers. You drive 6 blocks to 10th and main and let off 5 passangers and 3 come on board. You drive 9 blocks and 18 passangers get off and 10 get on. Your destination is 3 miles away, you arrive there after a total drive time of 30 minutes. What color are the bus drivers eyes?

Then she tells me, to remember the very first words of the riddle. While here you can simply look back at the first words of the riddle, when they are being verbalized it is much harder to remember them, unless of course you TRULY LISTENED.

She told me that when she is engaged in conversation with people from now on she is going to always remember to ask herself, "what color are the bus drivers eyes?"

I'm so proud of my mom for still choosing to learn and to grow and for sharing this with me. In my recent state of affairs I too have forgetten or become so emotionally charged that I have not truly LISTENED. My lack of attentiveness has probably caused me to miss simple answers to many problems.

I love moments like this, especially when they are between my mom and I because they really only happen once every few years. I'm certainly glad that I did not dismiss the oppurtunity to hear the joke, and that I respected my mother enough to listen. I thank God that I was able to put aside my selfish desires for a few minutes because I became richly blessed with years of wisdom.