Mom, when I grow up I want to be like you.

05th/May/2017

 –Mom, do cows fly?

-How silly!… Of course they fly! Why wouldn’t they fly?

And that’s how it was when my mother told me the story of my grandfather. I was too little to remember, but according to her, he took us to the countryside to see the stars. He told us that a dairy cow flew between them and he showed us the trail that she left behind. Why do think it’s called a dairy cow? he would ask. I never understood what he meant exactly, or why he was talking about Pegasus (if a horse has wings, why wouldn’t a cow have them too?).

My mother kept the dream alive and taught me to let my imagination fly. She made me believe in ideas and even create my own. She never put limits on our stories, our thoughts or our adventures. She taught me how to learn to think.

We like to think that all days are Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Brother’s Day, Cousin’s Day, Girlfriend’s Day, Friend’s Day, Neighbor’s Day, etc., but since Sunday happens to be Mother’s Day, this is for all the mothers.

And it’s true that, changing topics, “you only have one mother.” Who else teaches us to value things, or to say, “who cares!” when you don’t have something? Who smiles when everything falls apart? Who does something to make everyone smile? Who makes the best croquettes in the world? Who eats the most unimaginable vegetables just so that you’ll eat them too?

Who else believes that cows can fly?!

*Illustration (adapted) Claudia Tremblay.