Living Without Mom

It's strange when you move to a new place without your parents.

You spend 18 years of your life with someone to take care of you and to blindly follow. You never really have to pay attention to where you're going because your mom can get you there. You don't really have to worry about getting sick because your mom will take care of you. You don't really have to budget because your mom will come to the rescue.

Moving to Knoxville in 2016 was definitely a shock, but that was nothing compared to moving to the other side of the globe.

At least we were in the same time zone.

Laundry at our apartment costs $4 AUD per load (just to wash) which is as much as an iced coffee. I spend $8 AUD on one load to wash and dry which is as much as a cheap meal that isn't from Maccas. With prices like that, laundry every other week is hard to justify, and the pile is just getting higher. I miss my mom.

I went to the movies last night and forgot to plan on buying a ticket ahead of time, so we had to go half an hour out. We squeaked into the movie as the opening credits began. Where was my mom to help me plan? Still asleep, I hope. I miss my mom.

There is so much guesswork living in a foreign city. With pretty much no background in public transit, every time we get on a bus we cross our fingers and hope it's the right one. No one ever thinks to check if a place is actually open before we go because literally only moms think of that. I miss my mom.

I almost feinted in Ash Wednesday Mass because the heat was unbearable, and I was shocked by how much of my mother's words came to me as I told myself to stop kneeling, stand up, walk outside, get fresh air, find some water, take communion, sit back down. I only knew that kneeling was problematic because my mom told me once that it cuts off circulation. I miss my mom.

Honestly, how do people survive without their moms?

I miss my mom.