“Someday you’ll see”
Did you ask your mother “Why?” just about every time you didn’t understand the reason behind her decisions? Or perhaps you were told to do things a certain way and it made no sense to you. So you asked “Why?” once again.
I definitely fit into the category of young people who wanted to know why!
As I recall, my mother often gave me an explanation that made total sense to her but left me clueless. If I pressed the issue further, I would get this reply: “Some day you’ll see.”
That is definitely not the answer I wanted but it cut off the discussion, since I couldn’t argue with that response. I didn’t have any “ammunition.”
As I age, I definitely have come to understand those “Someday you’ll see” moments.
In fact, every summer when I mow the lawn I am reminded of those words. When I was about 12 years old I was told I could mow the lawn to earn extra money. I soon found out that it didn’t mean starting up the mower and going willy-nilly over the grass. There was a plan to follow! I had to mow in a different direction each time. Of course, I asked, “Why?” The answer was because it keeps the grass upright and not flat. As you might guess, flat grass would have been fine with me. But my “someday” moment came once I started taking care of my own lawn. Every week as I change directions, I am transported back to being 12 years old again and I love it. Our lawn looks great, too!
When I was a teenager rock ‘n’ roll was my music of choice. I remember my mother saying she couldn’t understand any of the words that were being sung. She told me that some day I would see for myself exactly what she meant. I swore that would never happen. Of course, it did! Now I am the one who wonders how teenagers can understand the lyrics of the music they listen to.
Then there was the day I came home from being out of town and found my mother pulling up all the plants in a large garden on the bank near our house. She was going to sow grass seed there. That action really puzzled me, because she loved her rock garden. Of course, I asked, “Why?” She said it had gotten to be “too much” for her. Then she added, “Some day you’ll see!”
When my husband and I moved into my family home, I was in my thirties. I dug up the grass that she had planted and put in a perennial garden. Now that I’m my “senior” self, what used to seem like a slight incline gets steeper each year. Another “some day” moment has come and now I see!
As my mother aged, she didn’t want to drive at night. When I asked, “Why?” she replied that it was getting hard to see. That made no sense to me because I could see just fine. Now I am the one who avoids night driving unless it’s right here in the city on well lit streets. Some things you just have to “see” for yourself!
Then there is the cooking conundrum. When I was first married I wanted to learn how to cook some of the dishes my mother prepared. The problem was that the measured amounts of various ingredients were “in her head.” There was a pinch of this…and a pinch of that. Or you stirred something until the texture felt right. That sounds just like the way I cook today. Another “someday” moment!
If your “some day” moment hasn’t come yet, it will. You can’t hurry the journey. Only time will get you there.
