Wiser With Age

Category: Advice

  • In My Mother’s Words: When I played a practical joke on my mother

    In My Mother’s Words: When I played a practical joke on my mother


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    My last semester in college I was the morning show intern at a Spanish language radio station. One of the segments on the morning show was called “Oye Que Te Cojo†(“Hey, I got you.”) Basically, fans would call in with ideas for a prank call and the main host would execute it and play it on air. Well, one day he asked me why we didn’t play a practical joke on my mom. I was ALL for it.

    We started brainstorming, and he suggested maybe telling my mom I was pregnant. I told him she wouldn’t believe that. However, the one thing my mom ALWAYS worries about is drinking and driving. That was it! I would call my mom and tell her I got pulled over and arrested for a DUI.

    The next day, I called her and told her I had gotten pulled over after a night out. I put on my best crying voice, exaggerated the story, and said I argued with the cop and even flicked him off. It was two weeks before graduation and I told her I didn’t know if I’d be allowed to graduate. NOT ONCE did she get mad. All she kept saying was:

    Ayyy Victoria! Por qué, Victoria?! Por qué?!

             (Ohhh Victoria! Why, Victoria?! Why?!)

    Then, in the middle of it all, the host of the morning show starts talking to her about the situation without even introducing himself. The most bizarre thing was the fact she didn’t question who this strange man talking to her was! He finally told her it was just a prank, and none of it was true. Poor thing. When I called her, after the fact, she told me when she answered my call she was driving and had to pull over because she got cold sweats.

    What I will say is that was a reminder of the unconditional love my mom has for us. She could’ve lost her mind, she would’ve had every right to. She wasn’t mad – she was disappointed, which is arguably worse. She didn’t yell, curse or condemn me. Knowing her, she was racking her brain to figure out how to fix this for her daughter – a daughter who pulled a horrible prank on her mother for thousands of people in the city of Orlando to hear.

    You can listen to the audio (in Spanish) here.

    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: On being independent

    In My Mother’s Words: On being independent


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    I’ve always been terrible at building things. I’m impatient and try to skip steps.

    Recently, I moved into a new home and decided to give this building furniture thing a try. Not only did I build my dresser all by myself, but I built my bed frame as well! I felt like it was a victory for all womankind!

    Granted, it’s not suffrage or anything, but with the help of Romeo Santos and some determination I got the job done! (Full disclosure: My male roommate totally volunteered to help me. When I told him I had finished it, he was “hurt and excited,†because it was supposed to be a “community project.†I told him it wasn’t personal and reassured him it was me and not him.)

    After I built my dresser and told a friend he said me, “I’m always impressed with you.†Building furniture is nothing impressive, but I think he reacted this way because he’s always complimented me on how independent I am. I grew up in a home where my mom painted the house on her own, she checked the oil in her car and even changed her tires. She never waited on anyone, and she never asked anyone for help. She always said she didn’t want to inconvenience others.

    My mother has always told me:

    Naciste sola y vas a morir sola.

    (You were born by yourself, and you’re going to die by yourself.)

    Are these words harsh? Yeah. Are they true? Yes. By no means did she give me this advice so I would think I’d spend my final days alone. She said this so I would learn to be independent and not wait on others to make decisions or to do things. Today was one of those days I found myself repeating those words.

    This phrase has molded me beyond words. I love to vacation alone. I love challenging myself. To a certain point, I even love doubting myself. It’s like one side of my brain taunts the other and says, “You can’t do this.†Meanwhile, the other defiantly replies, “Watch me.â€

    My mother is a woman who has done it ALL by herself. I don’t know if I can be at her level, but I can sure as hell try!

    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: Birds of a feather

    In My Mother’s Words: Birds of a feather


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    I’ve told you all how my mother always made sure we surrounded ourselves with good influences. Most of all, she always reminded us to be proud of the person we are and not to change for anyone. We’ve all heard the expression, “Birds of a feather flock together.†It’s kind of terrible but kind of true all at the same time. The Spanish version of this, which I always heard, is…

    Dime con quién andas, y te dire quién eres.

    (Tell me who you surround yourself with and I’ll tell you who you are.)

    This brings me to my best friend/amiga, Valerie. Valerie had her engagement party this past weekend. We truly believe we are the same person, and that we are both getting married. Her fiancé agrees. We’re old souls, pesada (lack sensitivity), intelligent and have the honor of being born to INCREDIBLE mothers.

    We enjoy having drag show brunch dates with our favorite gals. Afterward, we’ll go hang out at the Clevelander on South Beach. These are the type of people we are. We are these people because of the women who raised us. Women who are retired and enjoy life as if they’re in their 30s. They’re still in their prime.

    My mom was in Honduras for Christmas, and I went to Sandra’s (Valerie’s mom) house. I’m always welcomed with open arms. Valerie has embarrassingly inappropriate conversations with my mom. She’s told my little mom she’d like to stick her in her purse and just carry her around. There’s a confianza (familiarity) that I hadn’t experience prior to this friendship.

    These women gave up everything for their children. They raised us to be loyal, caring, supportive and accepting. We followed their example, and in turn, these children found each other and established a formidable friendship. A friendship where there is loyalty – we care, we’re supportive and accepting.

    As Valerie and I always say, “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.â€

    Glad we all flock together, amigas!

    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: On modern technology

    In My Mother’s Words: On modern technology


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Victoria’s mom, Bélgica, in her younger years.

    Tuesday night I took the final bite out of my MacBook Pro, Conchita 2.0 (Yes, there was an original). We have been together since 2011. I bought her while I still lived in NYC. I documented my NYC adventures, my Miami adventures, my travels and the first six months of my Atlanta adventure with her. This is where the problem comes – I may or may not be able to salvage my pictures.

    This is where I’m reminded of my mother’s words:

    “El adelanto siempre trae atraso.”

              (Advancement always comes with setbacks.)

    Back in the day, we would all print our pictures. We would focus on the moment rather than posting to social media. We rely on the digital world and some thing we call a “cloud†to store all of our stuff. Don’t get me wrong, we’re all still capable of printing, but we’ve (at least I have) made this digital progression that in a sense has caused us to almost regress.

    This applies to most things that have evolved over time. Today, we’re out with the old, and in with the new. Many times the old way is the best way, yet it is discarded and forgotten. However, this is a solid lesson learned, and a reminder to not only consistently back things up, but that it’s not always necessary to stick with what’s new. Had I printed my pictures out, I wouldn’t be lamenting the loss of my beloved Conchita 2.0 as much.

    Mom – 10226.8 days of my life being right. (28 years)

    Victoria – 0

    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: Looking at the bright side

    In My Mother’s Words: Looking at the bright side


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about this week. I have some quotes and phrases saved in an email, but for some reason none seemed to really inspire me. My mom and I were making plans for summer via Facebook (very modern) and both got really excited. It’s been an interesting week, to say the least, so I needed the extra rush. Seeing my enthusiasm made my mom happy, because she knew I had been in a funk.

    Then, she said to me:

    “Hay que ver la luz que da el fósforo y no la oscuridad que hay alrededor.” 

    (You need to focus on the light a match provides and not the darkness that surrounds it.)

    As usual, she’s right. My mom has been through dark moments in her life. She always credits that hardcore Catholic faith she has. She always manages to flip things around, and she always manages to push through. So when I find myself complaining, it’s moments and advice like this that bring me back to reality.

    It was exactly what I needed to hear. This is why she’s the best.

    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€