I always thought my mom was CRAZY. That time she stood at the water’s edge when I was 13 and learning to surf, crying and begging me to come out of the water because there was lightning in the distance. That time in high school when she begged me not to do my student exchange in Moscow, just after the fall of communism. That time she came running and screaming out of the house threatening divorce when my dad was about to take me for a long ride on his vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle that didn’t always run that well. All those times I came home late at night to find her sleeping in an armchair, waiting for me to make it safely home. The countless calls and text messages at all hours of the day and night, asking where I was and if I was ok.

I thought she was crazy.

Now I know, she WAS crazy. And now I know that I am too.

Now that I am a mother, I can’t imagine letting my kid do ANY of that. Driving god knows where on those dangerous roads late at night all alone? I think I might be worse.

So now, I want to thank you, mom, for being crazy.

Thank you, mom, for your bravery. Thank you for having the courage to let me go. To let me live. To let me grow. For letting your heart bounce around all over this globe despite the anxiety I now know you felt when your imagination ran wild with all the things you knew COULD happen to me. Thank you, mom, for now, I know. I only made it this far because of your CRAZY love.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Magic 133/365, Granny Meets Dasan, San Ramon, Costa Rica, April 16, 2018