A Tribute to My Mom: The Ultimate Listener

I grew up my entire life with the ultimate listener.   You see, my mom is the kind of person you always want to be around.  She's the one who is there for you if something goes wrong.  She celebrates your personal and professional triumphs and she provides a shoulder to lean on whenever you are feeling down.  Unfortunately, when you are the ultimate listener, you oftentimes fall victim to leeches.  You know who those people are. The ones who always have bad things going on in their lives.  They constantly complain.  They can't understand why their life sucks so bad but whenever you give them suggestions on how to turn things around, they come up with every reason in the book why your advice just won't help their situation.

Throughout my mom's life, dysfunctional people have always managed to seek her out.  I even received a text message recently asking for her cell number just so that a family member could benefit from some motherly advice.  I feel very fortunate to be lucky enough to be my mom's daughter. But to be perfectly honest, I wish the people who only call her when things go wrong would actually pick up the phone when things go their way.  You see, when toxic people invade the lives of listeners, things can get a bit stressful.

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I recently told my mom that she should have been a psychologist because she'd be rich with all the therapy she's dispensed for free over the years.   Before they call 911, Mom is the first person people call if they have problems - and I have to admit, that sometimes even I'm included in that mix.  But for all the people who drain my mom with their drama - and trust me, she's been listening to a lot of drama lately, to me, she's more than just a listener.  She's a trusted confidante, a best friend, a cheerleader and a force in my life who has always made me feel like I was capable of achieving anything.  

I wish all those people racing to tell mom their tales of woe could stop a minute and think about giving her a call when things are going their way.  Sure it's always great to have a listener in your life who will lend an ear when you're down in the dumps, but before you suck a perfectly normal person into your toxic world, why not call them with good news instead?   Fight the urge to vent and instead, take a yoga class, create a God Box and write down your worries, tweet them into the Universe or find an inspirational quote that'll lift you out of your doldrums.  But whatever you do, before you pick up that phone, I beg of you, don't call my mom!