Mom Memories

Every month, my roommate gets his medications delivered to our house. The woman who delivers them is friendly and talkative. Every month it always kind of makes me a little sad because she sounds remarkably like my mother. What is even more odd is the fact that she somewhat looks like my mother. My roommate and I have discussed this a lot. We know there is no way they could be related. Even still, she is so much like her that it always sends me just a little bit down memory lane.

My mom was such an unconventional woman in so many ways. When people think of their mom's scent, it's usually feminine things or the smells of their cooking. My mom smelled like nicotine and sweat. These scents worked their way into her clothes and even when she was clean, there was still a lingering trace of it. I always found this comforting though, because it was Mom. It was part of who she was and how I knew her. 

Mom never was into the traditional feminine clothing either. She usually wore jeans or work pants. She was always in t-shirts. Her shirts were usually faded and ragged at the edges. My mother never wore heels. Instead, her feet were either in work boots or flipflops. Her hair was in a bun. Sometimes this was covered with a bandanna.  Bandannas will always remind me of her.

We had a complicated relationship. I won't say she was the easiest person to handle, but she was still my mother. When I have these moments like today when I am around someone who reminds me of her, a lot of the better memories come flooding back. I'm grateful for there to be times when it's just the good stuff, just the familiar stuff. Sometimes we need that.