In my first year at York University, I enrolled myself in
a Creative Writing course. That was the first and the last time I ever did
that. I started off as the one with the most potential and ended up disappointing
my professor on many levels. Even though I self-destructed, I have great
memories from that course and I want to share one of them today.
We had this assignment where we had to pick one of our
classmates and describe them in 500 words or something like that! I chose this
guy who always dressed like a Goth and didn't think anyone would choose me! The
worst part of the course was that we always had to read out loud our writing
after an assignment had been marked so the others in the class could provide
some constructive feedback as well. For this particular reading, we weren't
allowed to reveal our subject's name - we had to guess who s/he was!
There was this "mature student" in our class.
He was 32. He worked in a factory and one day, he decided to quit his job and
go back to school. He felt awkward amongst a bunch of 18-19 year old eager
beavers. I had a lot of respect for his tough decision. In a Creative Writing
class, he brought with him what the rest of us lacked - real life experience. I
almost always looked forward to listening to his readings. This time around, I
was caught by surprise as it gradually dawned on me that I was his subject. I
think I had tears in my eyes as he finished reading. No one had ever written so
beautifully about plain old me...
Toward the end of the course, this man became the most
promising student. We all agreed he had a future in writing. Even now, I Google
his name sometimes to see if he has something published. Haven't found anything
yet!
The point to the story is that we should all have
descriptions of ourselves – poetic or otherwise. To see ourselves through someone else’s eyes in a beautiful and
positive way! A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to receive a second
gift of such words. My friend Maddy wrote the following about me:
She is as soft as
her name sounds ... Totally rounded in appearance and in personality, no harsh
edges. Believes in being herself almost to the extent of being rebellious
... But the word rebellious is harsh so doesn't suit her ... I would say being
herself without letting society dictate terms is what she is. Sees always the
good in people and that is a reflection of her own soul …
Maddy is one of my 4 friends I hold close to my heart.
She is the diametric opposite of me. From when I have known her, she has always
been happening! She participated in beauty pageants and won some; now, she
judges beauty pageants and still can compete with the participants. She is a
celebrity in her city. And she is just not a stunning beauty, she is also a mom
to 2 beautiful girls; she is an amazing artist, a writer and a philanthropist.
If I have to answer the question "who am I?", I
want it to be an amalgamation of several viewpoints...preferably my friends'!
They say we are defined by the company we keep. I am blessed to be in the best
company possible. I already mentioned H and Chits, now Maddy and then, there is
Munny whom I haven't written anything about yet. She is perhaps the closest to
who I am.
One of my wishes is to write about these 4 strong women.
They don't even live in the same country as I do, but their presence in my life
is a force to reckon with! When I write about them, I will be writing about me.
And that's what I realized with Momley Moments!
By writing about my children, I have revealed quite a bit about myself. I don't
need to have a special post titled "Who is Momley?". This is the last
one!
Boys, this is the 200th post! You
2 have inspired me to write so much! Thank you. All I request is that you take
the time to write/convey some honest and meaningful words to those you care
about; Because, once in a while, we all need little reminders of how wonderful
we are!
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