This season Manulife is creating a movement of gratitude and paying it forward kindness during the Christmas season. We hope that by sharing our stories (as varied as they are) of #LifeAdvice and #gratitude we can amplify the conversation and encourage more people to think of sharing these types of kind gestures over the holidays.
Life advice sometimes comes to you in funny ways, and while some of our stories may seem a little strange, they all contain advice that we feel strongly about. BLUNTmoms is here to show that even on a bad day, there is something good that can occur, and that simple things sometimes make the biggest impact in your life
—
There has never been a time I have doubted my mother’s advice. Except once.
I lived to regret it.
I should have known better. At 43 I still seek out her opinion on just about everything. Granted, it is easier to ask when I know the answer is going to be the same as mine, but sometimes it isn’t.
I have sought her advice on everything from ‘Should I marry this guy?’ to what she thought about pecan pie at thanksgiving.
There is one piece of advice that stands out from all the rest and it has to do with Christmas. It came in the form of a tree stand.
Deep down I am cheap. My penchant towards cheap gets me in trouble, just about on a weekly basis. When my mom saw the flimsy metal Christmas tree stand I had purchased, she pursed her lips, shook her head and said, “Promise me you won’t get a big Christmas tree, your tree stand won’t hold it.”
Yeah, yeah whatever, I thought. Sure it will hold, that’s what tree stands do, they hold trees! Now let’s keep in mind my mother has been setting up Christmas trees for like 40 plus years, so I’m pretty sure she knows what she is talking about. However, in that moment, I felt I knew better.
Do you think I went and purchased a small tree? Of course not. In a rare moment of rebellion I was bent on proving her wrong. After wrangling the tallest tree I could find into the tree stand, I beheld it’s glory, the marvel of it, the lush fragrance. With that we decorated it with our most precious ornaments because this was truly the tree of trees.
It wasn’t too long until Mom’s words rang true. The tree fell over not once but 4 times in the span of one week.. Remember all the precious family ornaments? Crushed. The twinkly white lights? They were forever shrouded in darkness.
We ended up anchoring the tree with rope to finish out the season but Christmas was barely over before the tree in all it’s ‘grandeur’, was thrown out in the front yard. Broken remants of ornaments and strands of lights hung hapzardly off the bent tree limbs, completing the image of a scene from the movie, Christmas Vacation.
My mom never said, “I told you so.” She didn’t need to, I had learned my lesson and you can believe the first thing I bought at an after Christmas sale was an industrial strength tree stand.
When in doubt, listen to your Mother.
Heck, even when you’re not in doubt, listen to your mother.
I love you, mom, and I’ll always value your advice–big and small.
—
Visit the Manulife blog for more details on what they are doing to share gratitude this month, or pop onto the #LifeAdvice hashtag on Twitter and start sharing the best life advice YOU have received!
This post is sponsored by SPLASH Media Engagement on behalf of Manulife.
@Manulife is asking you to spread some positive by thanking those in your life who have given you great #LifeAdvice. Take a moment to #PayItForward by thanking someone important to you.
