Mama, u way too cool

by Gordon Parks

My mom's visiting in less than a week, and she's planning her own version of "Sex and the City" in Europe with her girlfriends. They're going to tour the continent, rocking their unique fashion choices (definitely not like Carrie Bradshaw), but I can tell my mom still has that spark. Talk about aging gracefully... In fact, the first thing she asked me to do was take her and her friends to Bulldog and treat them to some top-quality super lemon haze. How could I even hesitate? I'd do anything for that woman. After all, she brought me into this crazy world, and I miss her so.

I still remember some of her wild stories from her youth—how she'd sometimes skip class to hang out with her friends, fighting for human rights alongside musicians, artists, and all the other new-age folks from her university. She was a rebel, that woman. And she still is, but now in a more refined and reflective way.

I understand her better now, even though back then, I saw her as a social wannabe who was always open to new experiences and adventures. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm turning into a woman just like my own mother... If she finds out about this, she'd probably say, "Baby, you gotta do your own thing. I'm proud of who you've become, but it's your life, and I trust you to make the right decisions."

I can't help but despise her relentless positivity. Ironically, my brain gets flooded with dopamine from all the love and support I've been receiving lately, and it clouds my thinking. I need some contrast to see things clearly, to shatter the illusion of everything being rosy. Excessive optimism blinds the pessimist inside me. But to be fair, she did give me solid advice a couple of weeks back.

She said, "You're at a disadvantage, baby. Being a woman and Asian is the worst combination. They'll try to eat you alive out there." She went on and on about how expats and immigrants are treated unfairly and unequally by racists.

"Just look around, baby! They only offer menial opportunities to people like you. They know who to target. They especially know that expats, especially immigrants, are desperate to escape their impoverished countries and would do anything to stay here. You know I always tell you, if things don't work out, you're always welcome to come back home. Who knows, maybe you could pursue your Ph.D. in a place more welcoming to Asians, like Japan, Taiwan, or the USA. But knowing you, you're stubborn and want to do things your own way. So, let me give you a little motherly wisdom... The only way for you to thrive there is to make yourself in-demand in their market. But please, baby, if things get too rough, come home."

Hold on a second. In-demand in their market? What are you trying to say, mother dearest? Are you suggesting I become a prostitute? Well, considering the number of creepy old men who have been eyeing me lately, it's not such a bad idea... But of course, I knew exactly what she meant. Joey gave me the same advice a month ago.

Both Joey and my mom said the same thing: make yourself in-demand. Do your own thing. It seems like these two pieces of advice go hand in hand. The only way to become in-demand is to carve my own path. And that's exactly what I'll do. I'll turn myself into a monster, a fully evolved bad bitch. It is a sure proof way to get through any form of adversity. This I feel deeply happening within me now.

Everywhere I go, I feel abundance following me. Abundance comes in all shapes and sizes. Mine just happens to flow straight from strange life experiences and from a bunch of oddballs I randomly meet.