“my
mother
was my first country.
the first place I ever lived.”
- Nayyirah Waheed, lands
As I get older and begin to think about having children of my own, I find myself thinking a lot about what motherhood actually means. I’ve been looking to the mothers that I know--my friends, my aunts, my husband’s sisters, and most of all, my own mother and grandmothers--and beginning to realize for the first time that every mother’s journey is completely different, with its own unique challenges and triumphs.
No mothering experience is the exact same as another, but one thing is true across the board: motherhood is an intense, difficult, beautiful experience that transforms your relationship to yourself and to the world. No matter how you mother your children, the great motivator behind healthy, balanced motherhood is unconditional love.
Celebrate mothers, mentors, and yourself
Mother’s Day doesn’t have to only be about your biological mother. Reach out to your mentors, your teachers, your friends, anyone who’s been instrumental in making you the person you are today.
This can even be an opportunity to appreciate and love yourself. If you are a mother, you know how difficult it can be to live up to the pressure to be supermom all the time. Take some time to remind yourself of all of the amazing things you’ve done for your children. If you’re not a mother, but are responsible for the care of other people, that’s something to be celebrated as well. If you’ve had no choice but to be your own caregiver growing up, your own mother in a sense, that deserves recognition, too.
There are the cynics who might say that Mother’s Day is just a made-up holiday created to sell greeting cards and flowers. But I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and honor the women in your life who’ve raised you, guided you, and supported you. This Mother’s Day, don’t just shrug it off as another meaningless holiday, but use it as a chance to express true and mindful gratitude to your mother figures.
There is motherhood in each and every one of us
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “There is motherhood in each and every one of us. Motherhood is wanting the best for others and not expecting anything in return”. Even if we are not mothers, and even if we are not directly responsible for the everyday care and well-being of children in ways other than motherhood, we still have the opportunity to nurture those around us every day. We each have the capacity for deep and selfless care, and the capability to use it to touch the lives around us.
This Mother’s Day, give back
This upcoming Mother’s Day, May 13th, volunteers in the United States will create and deliver bouquets to mothers in senior care centers and hospices, spending time showing love and appreciation to mothers who may not otherwise be celebrated on Mother’s Day. Art of Living, in partnership with our sister organization Care of Children, hosts this event yearly. Seeing the difference that this simple gesture can make in a mother’s life is a beautiful thing.
Click here to find your city and join us for Mother’s Day celebrations. For every $50 collected, we can make and deliver five vases, and a portion of the proceeds also go towards the education of underprivileged children in India.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Paige Leigh Reist is a lifestyle writer and the blogger behind thewholesomehandbook.com.
