In honor of Mother’s Day (May 13th!), I thought I might share a conversation I had with my mom - Billie - that changed the course of my life.
She and I were taking a walk together, discussing my future. I was about to graduate college, and with only a few months of classes left, it was time to figure out what I was going to do with my life. For many generations, our family had been in retail. My grandma Norma owned and operated Blakely’s - a chain of department stores in the Midwest and the South. When my mother graduated from college, she opened her own stores - Lady Madonna maternity boutiques - and had several locations up and down the east coast.
Despite the fact that I was about to graduate with a degree in Communication (and a major in Theater), I felt the familiar tug of brick and mortar pulling me toward a destiny in retail as well.
“I think I’m going to find a cool place to live and open up a shop,” I said casually.
My Mom stopped in her tracks.
"You have a dream. You’ve been working hard to study acting and now it’s time to put that dream in motion. Go for it. You can always open up a store later.”
“Whoa, what?”, I thought. “Isn’t being sensible and having a real job a heck of a lot better than being an ACTRESS?”
I had expected her to be relieved! And here she was, telling me to chase my dream.
We continued on our way, and suddenly graduation (and lots of auditions) seemed a bit less intimidating. Why not give my passion a shot? All these years later, I’m so grateful I heard her advice. I followed my dreams, I created new opportunities along the way, and I developed a belief that anything is possible if you put in enough heart and hustle.
Has it been easy? No, not always.
Has it been rewarding? Absolutely.
Did I need guidance along the way? All the time.
Wishing requires work, giant leaps of faith and some amazing people around you to encourage to keep going.
In honor of Mother’s Day, I salute the incredible women who have nurtured our dreams, pushed us forward, and shared their wisdom, just when we needed to hear it most.
Wishing you - and your Mom- all the best,
Alexa
