DON’T FORGET TO CALL YOUR MUM
The first woman I ever loved and all she ever asked me to do!
You SYPC women have no idea how much it means to me to be able to be Roy. You all allow me to push you all to your limits, you all listen to my crazy sports, army & man stories. Mostly you all give me a place to just be Roy. Yesterday was another amazing day in SYPC. I have never experienced a studio were the members are so amazingly happy and full of positive energy all the time.
I have the small piece of the pie I always wanted in this world in SYPC. So for mother’s day I thought I would share something that I wrote a long time ago.
As many of you know, I was born with a hole in my heart. Doctor visits and hospital visits were a normal part of my early childhood. I remember on a very very hot Washington, DC summer day, walking with my mother to the hospital on our way to the final appointment before my first heart operation. My mother and I were walking down the street along side of a wall. As we approached the street corner I could see a man working underneath his car. As my mother and I were closer to the car a large dog suddenly dashed out from the frontside of this car directly towards us. My mother never screamed and never seemed afraid, she wipped me up quickly into her chest, wrapped her arms around me and turned her back to the dog. My back was against the wall, but i could look into my mothers face. The dog never reached us because the man working underneath the car threw a wrench at the dog/his dog. I do not remember being afraid, rather seeing the look in the face of my mother. It was not a look fear or panic, but a look of confidence. As if she knew exactly what she had to do in this situation. And without hesitation, she did it!
My mother took my hand and we continued on our way to the hospital. She was really silent. I could not stop looking at her and feeling that she was amazing or different than she was before this incident. When we arrived at the hospital we had to wait an unbelieveable long time. It was so overcrowded in the large waiting room you that it made the heat unbarable for my mother. She collapsed waiting in line. I remember people helping her to a chair and bringing her water. I am not to sure what caused her to collapse. Maybe it was a delayed reaction from the dog incident earlier, the walk to the hospital in the heat or the temperature in the waiting area. Well, we moved quickly to the top of the waiting list!
What happened next was a clear declaration of who my mother is. I remember 1 doctor saying to my mother that i would never be active like the other kids, especially when it comes to sports. Well, my mom exploded! She said you doctors are always so quick to say someone can not do something or this is not possible, but i see him everyday outside with kids his age and older kids and there is no difference, in fact he is one of the fastest and best, so do not tell me that he can not do something. You see, my mother was a pretty tom boy during her high school years and continued to compete in competitive sports with women much younger than her until she was over 40 years old. During her high school years, she and three of her sisters were 1 of the fastest track&field relay teams in america. So my mother was the wrong woman for this doctor to say something like this to! I would not fully grasp what I learned on this day, til I was older. On this day I learned what love truly is without even knowing or understanding it. I also learned that despite the difficulties you face and despite being doubted by others, there is no reason to give up on your goals.
I inherited a lot from my mother. to include her work ethic, her love of people and a desire to just have a small piece of the pie in this world were you could just be yourself. Free from all the biases that this world has. To fully understand my mother, you need to understand that she only asked me to do 1 thing in life. She never said not to steal, not to kill or any of the typical things. She only asked me never to say to a woman that I love her and I really do not. I am quite sure this request came from the relationship she had with my father.
Well mom, I made mistakes and maybe even have been unfair in some of my dealings with women, but I have kept my promise to you.
And as every year, she will wait for my call. Distance across oceans cannot stop love. So, ladies, don’t forget to call your mum.
