Dolly, Betty, The Queen... I'll Take Mom - Honoring Mary K on Her Milestone Birthday

This week is a big week for us to peruse articles, headlines and #BuzzFeed lists highlighting notable stateswomen. Betty White turns 99 today, Dolly Parton will be 75 on Tuesday, and Queen Elizabeth II kicked off the 100 day countdown to her 95th birthday. These women rock, lead by example, and put their grit, grace (and glamour) front and center every day.

That said, any further reference to these "golden girls" could not be complete without a fourth. Introducing y'all to "Mary K", aka friend, confidant, social worker, daughter, wife, Grammy - and to me, simply Mom. (pausing here for ugly cry in public, as I think of all she has done for me)

My mom is always teaching me, exhibiting compassionate criticism, with the occasional facepalm when necessary. Of the hundreds upon hundreds of micro-mom-moments, summarizing three which has helped me most in my career and personal life.

I. Speak Softly, unless Praising in Public: admittedly, I spent a majority of the first two score of life speaking "a bit" loudly and usually speaking first. Shockingly, this generally did not produce fruitful returns. My Mom, on the other hand, always begins the conversation lavishing praise. She pays particular attention to the supermarket clerk on his 15th hour, super-single-moms with heavy bags under their eyes, and the nuns at the post office.

II. Own Up to Your Mistakes: when learning to ride a bike, I clipped the corner house and took down about 20ft of fence. I put on my best fake cry face, only to be immediately "redirected" to the corner house. I knocked, they answered, (I probably fake cried again), we "talked", then I picked up and piled the plastic, and went along with my day. Big takeaway, looking back, WE immediately faced the situation, identified that it was not that big of a deal, owned up, and moved on. No hiding, no child (i.e. subordinate) terror, and no sulking.

III. Actions Matter: My Mom loves Jeopardy (Alex Trebek RIP). Outside of the evening family routine and keeping the brain sharp, she wholeheartedly embraced and exhibited Alexs' favorite quote, “Don't tell me what you believe in. I'll observe how you behave and I will make my own determination.” This unconsciously became my mantra in 2020 and holds great weight in our post-Covid world.

The list goes on and on, though for now invite y'all to be young at heart, eternal in wisdom, and kind to all. Happy Birthday, Mommy! Love, Danny