May 8th, 2022
My mom said lies that she would make true.
For example, she used to regularly tell me how nice my teeth are. Not just nice, but how I had the whitest, straightest, most astonishing teeth that she had ever seen in her entire life.
Most of you have seen my teeth. They are normal teeth, at best. I think I tried to whiten them once, but they bled all over the sink, because there was a span of over ten years where I never visited a dentist. Objectively, my teeth are okay, if you’re being generous.
But she believed it.
I could tell. She wasn’t indulging in toxic positivity, she wasn’t lying to enhance my self-esteem, she genuinely thought that I could have been a professional male model based on the quality of my molars alone.
She would compliment my hair even though I’m balding.
She thought I had style even though I dress like I can’t see myself.
She told me regularly that she thought my music sounded good. (This is my favorite because my mom was literally deaf.)
And she believed it so much that I would start to believe it, too.
I want to say Happy Mother’s Day to those who are celebrating.
But if you’re like me and feel a little down today, I have a suggestion.
Tell someone you like their teeth today.
And mean it.
And watch all the moms we have lost live on.
The Den 