Wiser With Age

Category: Advice

  • In My Mother’s Words: Love for your kids

    In My Mother’s Words: Love for your kids


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    Putting into words how much you love someone can be really hard. The love is sometimes so powerful, you’re left speechless.

    One of the most beautiful explanations my mom has used to describe her love for us came as a response to a bit of a smart answer I gave her.

    She’s always said my brother and I are her lungs, without us she cannot breathe. One day I said to her:

    “Bueno, uno puede vivir con un pulmón.â€

               (Well, you can live with one lung.)

    She replied:

    “Si, pero no vuelves a ser la misma.â€

              (Yes, but you’re never the same.)

    Her response made me think, and I always remember it. It taught me how much you can mean to someone. You always know your mom loves you, but when it’s compared to something essential, like your lungs, you pause and really reflect.

    I, too, honestly feel like I cannot breathe without my mother. In times of happiness, she’s there smiling ear-to-ear, in times of sadness, she holds my hand, and in challenging times, we love each other and stay positive.

    Certain weeks, you feel really lucky and blessed. This week, I’m grateful for breathing room.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

  • In my Mother’s Words: People and looks

    In my Mother’s Words: People and looks


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Victoria with her mom while traveling in Medellin, Colombia.

    You know how sometimes you like a guy or a girl, and they’re not incredibly good looking, but not hideous either? Sometimes you don’t even know how to describe them!

    My mother always tries to see the best in people, and like most mothers, her words may sound mean, but then you laugh and realize it’s not such a bad way of putting it either.

    Typically, when my mother sees someone and finds herself in the same position I do when describing someone not gorgeous but not hideous, she tells me:

    “No es bonito/a que encanta ni feo/a que espanta.â€

             (Translation: Neither cute enough to charm nor ugly enough to harm.)

    I know this sounds harsh at first, but it’s also kind of hysterical. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been able to describe someone that way, and it totally makes sense to whomever I’m speaking with.

    Let’s be honest, most people aren’t drop dead gorgeous, or drop dead hideous. In the end, it’s all in good fun, because as my mom always reminds me it’s the inside that counts.

    Moms really do say the darndest things.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

     

  • In My Mother’s Words: 60 and fabulous

    In My Mother’s Words: 60 and fabulous


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Belgica en La Ciudad Vieja de Cartagena de Indias.

    My mother and I got back from a two week vacation in South America yesterday. We spent time in Colombia and Argentina. We’ve done mother/daughter trips before and always have a great time. However, this is our first trip since she retired. This time we had a FABULOUS experience.

    It’s amazing how much her demeanor has changed since retiring. It’s almost as if she got 25+ years back. In Colombia, she reunited with a great friend after 19 years. We went to Medellin and Cartagena. She bought herself a hat, and I lent her a pair of my sunglasses. That was the beginning of this new side of her I had never seen.

    After Colombia, we headed to Argentina and met up with my brother in Buenos Aires. We hung out and even did a free walking tour. During the tour, you walk across what (some) Argentine’s claim is the world’s widest avenue – 9 de Julio. Naturally, as my mother and I are trying to hurry up and cross, I suggest we take a selfie. Like I said, she never says no.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

     

    When we landed at the Miami airport on the way home, my mom told me how she remembered the first time she landed there when she immigrated from Honduras. In the last few years she’s traveled the world. An opportunity she’s certain she wouldn’t of gotten had she stayed in her homeland.

    You know sometimes people teach you the greatest lessons by not saying anything at all. I just observed her. She never got tired of walking. She never said no when I’d ask her to go sit at a bar with me. She was honestly more fun than most other people I’ve traveled with!

    I told my brother that being with my mom shows me it’s never too late. After this trip, I’ve learned I need to try not to constantly feel like I need to rush or am running out of time. If I can be a quarter as fabulous and fun as my mom is when I’m 60, then in reality, I will have wasted no time at all.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

  • In My Mother’s Words: When others don’t understand

    In My Mother’s Words: When others don’t understand


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    You know how sometimes you feel like people just don’t understand things? You almost feel crazy because no matter how many times you explain it, even in the simplest way possible, people are still not getting it! Most of all, you feel almost judged. Judged, because if no one is understanding you then you’re obviously the problem.

    My mom tells me that many times people don’t understand, because they can’t relate. They’ve never been through the situation or shared a similar experience. At least, not yet. She always says to me:

    “Cuando mi mal sea viejo, el tuyo sera nuevo.â€

    (Translation: “When my troubles have passed, yours will have just begun.”)

    In no way is this a way of wishing something negative upon others. But, I’ve noticed she is right. It’s almost like a friendly form of karma.

    The older I get, the more I see how so many different lives are almost the same. Similar experiences – just at different points. It’s taught me to be less judgmental and take a step back when listening, because in the end, you never know when you’ll be in the same shoes.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

  • In my Mother’s Words: Love and interests

    In my Mother’s Words: Love and interests


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    I used to have a wonderful Spanish teacher, Ms. Rina Faz, in high school who once told me I speak like I have lived a hundred years. I used to always blurt out my mom’s phrases during class. The best part was she enjoyed hearing them, and we would talk about them in class.

    Out of all the phrases my mom says, time and time again, I’d have to say this one is one of my favorites:

    “El amor y el interés se fueron al campo un día, y mas pudo el interés que el amor que le tenía.â€

              (VERY loosely translated: Love and personal interest took a stroll in through a field one day, the personal interest outweighed the love they shared.)

    People and their personal interests is something I always find intriguing. You really find out how much you mean to a person when they’re willing to put you before their own personal/financial gain. When it comes down to making a choice between someone you love and a personal gain/interest how many times will you honestly go with the person you love?

    I always appreciated the days Ms. Faz took a moment aside in class to discuss my mom’s phrases or to delve deeper into current events and topics. She was the perfect example of someone who constantly put her personal interests, i.e.-sticking to the planned lesson, aside for her students.

    I’ve learned that when you do that, it leads to people loving you for a very long time, longer than those personal interests will ever last.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€