Visions on Mint

Originally written 12/2015

I wake up around 7am and my cousin, who was visiting from Paradise, CA, was awake getting her swim gear on. "Where are you going?" I asked with great curiosity. "Going to fill the pool in the back and go swimming, wanna join?" my cousin replied. I took an assessment of the weather and how much I was willing to get in the pool. I went along with it, jumped in, and played until my stomach started to ache. "Ugh, I don't feel good." I said as I was grabbing my stomach and getting out. "Get dried off and I will get you something to eat." she says with hustle. A few moments pass and here comes my cousin, smiling with a plate in her hand as she waves with her other hand. "Here you go, I got you something that will help. I also brought some water." Mind you, I am 9 years old when this is all occurring. As the plate gets closer I see what my cousin brought me. Candy. Not just any candy, the candy you get from farmers markets, those mint pastel looking candy.

Reflecting back, and you think in your adult mindset. What an idiot, you don't bring candy! But, I know that my cousin was being nice, thoughtful, caring, and observant to my feelings. This was something that I was lacking in my life. Confidence in my feelings. In the household I grew up in, anytime emotion in the form of tears, whine, whimper, crying, sadness was all just in my head. If I felt sad, I was not allowed to. If I cried, I was told to stop. I don't know, I don't know why still to this day why it mattered if I felt down and why it mattered how I expressed such emotion. I'll never understand. What I do know, is that now as an adult, I appreciate the true meaning of feelings. At the end of the day we are all humans. We all experience the good and the bad.

So even on a upset stomach, I took the candy because my cousin cared. A little appreciation and understanding can really make waves on a person's mindset. Will that wave be good to surf on? or Will that wave throw you in the rocks and break your board? Keep a positive mindset, and the wave will always be a great ride!