My mom died nearly 11 years ago. Margaret Kathryn Thixton Sebastian was . . . well . . .let’s just say she was one of a kind. Mom embraced her zodiac symbol, the bull, and claimed it proudly whenever she stubbornly clutched to an opinion, decision, or desire. How to describe the woman? Fierce. Opinionated. Roosevelt Democrat, although we never let her forget she voted for Nixon. A kick-ass cook. More of an authoritarian type parent - her rules or her hand on your butt, your choice. She got things DONE. Once, with one blistering phone call to the postmaster of Downers Grove, IL, we were assigned new functioning mailing address and made our letter carrier’s day to see his boss sweat and scramble.

I started to write this afternoon because I am feeling pretty pissy about my parents and their smoking and the permanent damage it has caused my lungs. I am home from work struggling to move air in and out of my lungs, and honestly, feeling kind of bitter. All I did was visit my daughter for 20 minutes TWO days ago. She and her housemates now have two beautiful kittens, but in my old age, I have developed an allergy to cats. No itchy eyes or sneezing. I just stop breathing. Man, I didn’t even sit on the couch or touch them. I thought I got out in time. Damn.
Try as I might want to blame my parents, I am the daughter of a Warrior Goddess. Yes, her smoking may literally kill me one day, but by the time the warning labels came out, her brain chemistry had been altered for 50 years. Corporate American and profits strike again, making people believe that smoking is good for you and then, “Oh, my bad” after the damage is done. And the Warrior Goddess tried and tried to stop, but it was before nicotine patches. She never stopped completely. Warrior Goddesses want to be strong examples.

Daughters of Warrior Goddesses grow up thinking they can do or be whatever they want. They are empowered. They are smart. They are passionate. They believe the status quo is an illusion. This Libra daughter is not afraid to work against injustice whether through the system or in the street.
So instead of whining about the asthma, I get pissed. (Alright, maybe I whine to my husband.) I have a heritage to uphold. I can’t make it go away with my rage, but I can tell every smoking parent I meet what will happen to their children by the time those children are 50.
Magdalyn Sebastian, Warrior Goddess in the making.
Breathe well, my friend!
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