A Day With Mimi
What I learned spending some time with my German Grandmother. Also, a R.E.P.O.R.T.
I am a terrible homebody. At any given moment, I would rather be at my house with my family than anywhere else in the world. I think its root is three-fold: depression, anxiety, and busyness.
There is quite literally nothing more challenging than getting out of the house when you are in the throes of a depressive episode.
Anxiety brings up all of the what-ifs or, in my case, the “they hate me” thoughts.
Our lives and our schedules are SO FULL right now. Therefore, I feel deprived of my sit in my home and unwind time.
This results in one of my greatest disappointments in myself; I am bad, like notoriously bad, at investing in my relationships whether it be friendships or family. I envy my husband, who walks out of the house ready to encounter anyone. He is so good at continuing friendships and he is even so skilled at pursuing relationships with my family, whether it’s going to watch my little cousins play or just hanging out.
A place where I have particularly dropped the ball is with my grandparents. I let my life get so busy, or I let my mind hold me back so much that I often neglect some of the people most important to me. And here’s the thing, if they need something, I’m the first to offer. Of course I’ll help. Of course I’ll drive you. Of course I can return that package.
But when it comes to just visiting, I blow it.
Last week, I had a doctor's appointment, so I decided to ask my Mimi if she’d like to go with me. To my delight, she jumped at the chance!
She moved to the States from Germany when she was about my age. Her life is wrought with hard work and difficulty. She was a child in Germany during World War II, and the stories of her father working against Hitler’s regime are fascinating, harrowing, and heartbreaking.
Once in the US, she ran motels on the beaches of Florida and farms in Mississippi. After the end of her marriage, she supported her son and herself in many ways, one of which was a job at the Fort Worth Club, which was a place for the members of High Society. She told me once that even though times were hard and money was tight, she always kept back a little bit of money to buy herself something special. I now own two of those pieces: a gold necklace and a beautiful serving tray.
She married my PawPaw when I was a toddler, and she’s gone by plenty of names over the years, including Oma Aschi, Grammy, and Mimi.
Her eyesight began to deteriorate when I was younger and has continued over the years due to Macular Degeneration. Nevertheless, she taught my cousins and me to dive off the diving board, do headstands and somersaults, and even held cartwheel clinics where she taught us to lock out our wrists and elbows and point those toes, for goodness' sake!
I was so excited that she wanted to join me on my day out. I planned to keep it short and sweet incase she was ready to get home, but she was up for everything I was up for, and more! My sister joined us as well, and Mimi kept us laughing all day with things that are repeatable and things that we promised never to repeat!
The sweetest moment was when, in Sephora, I picked up a perfume I’ve had my eye on for a while and let her smell it. She asked me to put it in her little basket. I let her know I didn’t exactly have perfume money, and she told me, “You work so hard. Please let me do this for you.”
More than 50 years separate us, and it’s been a long time since she chased around her kids and ran her own business, but in that moment, she remembered how it felt to be an exhausted, stressed, deliriously happy mom, and she showed me the love I’m sure she craved during that time in her life.
A close second sweet moment was when I treated her to Dutch Bros for the first time, and she announced, “Gals! This is good!”
Just a day of bridging generations, and one that will hang with me for a while. I’ll continue to keep her secrets, and she’ll keep mine, while we treat each other to things that the other can’t, and I’ll keep being grateful that she’s mine.
R.E.P.O.R.T.
Just a little update of what I’m reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to.
Reading
I am a FAN of Linda Holmes. Her two earlier books, Evvie Drake Starts Over, and Flying Solo are absolute hits in my book (pun not intended) so this new release was a must read for me. I’m really enjoying it so far! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun easy read. I’ve read a lot of heavy stuff this year so this is a nice change of pace.
Eating
Blackberries. I cannot get enough blackberries. This obsession started a few springs ago, and now they are my absolute favorite snack. Jahmicah calls me a rat, for a lot of reasons which is a story for another day, but I am always pulling a carton of blackberries out of my bag which admittedly is pretty rat-like.
Playing
This game is so fun! My whole family loves it (except not really Jahmicah but he does humor us). It’s even approved by our 4 year old game snob, so I think it’s worth your time!
Obsessing Over
These are the Dylan Platform Clog from Crocs and I am embarrassingly in love with them. I’m a self proclaimed Crocs hater but I started seeing some girls I followed on TikTok wearing these and fell in love with them. I got a pair for Christmas and I love them!
Recommending
If you are not watching The Pitt on HBO Max let me be your guide! It is so good. A fast paced show based in the Emergency Room following the staff, where every episode is an hour of their shift. There are only two more episodes in the season to go, but the first 13 are available to binge right now!
Treating Myself To
Slow Thursday Mornings. I know this may seem like a weird concept, but running our shop comes with really odd hours worked so we don’t usually get the weekends off (or really any full days off). Jahmicah and I sat down and mapped out our off days and what that would look like. For me it looks like slow Thursday Mornings. We don’t get to experience slow weekends anymore so I just adapted it for my schedule and treat Thursday like Saturday! Even if you can’t treat yourself to a slow Thursday, I recommend a slow morning if you’re like us and have wonky hours or shifts.