Viewpoints is a SpokaneFāVS feature where our writers respond to a weekly question. Readers are invited to participate by posting in the comment section below.
Since Mother’s Day was celebrated this past weekend, we thought we’d ask FāVS writers about the words of wisdom their mothers gave them.
What’s the best advice mom ever gave you?
Neal Schindler: Choose a path
I was around 30 years old. I sensed that my almost decade-long career in journalism and new media might be coming to an end. Yet I wasn’t sure what to do next: Graduate work in film studies? A two-year filmmaking program? A master’s in counseling? I felt paralyzed by indecision.
My mother encouraged me to “get off the dime” and choose a path. If it didn’t work out, I could always change course. But if I didn’t try something, I’d stay rooted in place. I followed her advice, applied to graduate programs in counseling, and was admitted to Eastern Washington University.
Simply choosing a direction brought me not only a degree and a new career but also marriage and homeownership. My mother was the one who reminded me that going down one path doesn’t necessarily eliminate all others, but staying put can.
Readers, chime in! How would you answer this week’s Viewpoints question?
Should we re-title this feature “Neal’s Viewpoints”? J/k
Right?!
I have one. I realize I should have emailed this to viewpoints. When I was a kid my mom used to make me go up to the food counter at places and order my own food instead of doing it for me.
She said, ‘just because you’re a child doesn’t mean you can’t have a voice and do things yourself’ or something along those lines. I hated it. I didn’t like talking to strangers or asking for things. Now I realize she was helping me learn how to advocate for myself in a world that wasn’t going to do it for me.