30 Day meme
Sep. 7th, 2010 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
averygoodun42Day 03 – Your parents
Hmm. In three days, my parents will have been married for 44 years. Reasonably happily, too, which, given both their personalities, is both surprising and a given.
My dad grew up on an orchard, liked to blow things up with his chemistry set, and wanted to be a concert pianist. When his teacher politely told him that he wasn't quite good enough for the concert circuit, he put his considerable energy and drive into becoming an engineer. Except, well, fate (in the form of the wrong interview room) decided he'd be a better physicist. And he was a great one until he retired a few years ago. His love of combustion continues, though in a much safer and regimented way, and is fueled by his joy in chopping down trees.
My mum grew up on a small but important island in the Pacific Northwest. Her dad was a fisherman and a logger, while her mum was the beloved village mum. My mum's most notable trait is her love of reading; until my dad retired, she was quite literally addicted to books. Because of this, she is and always has been a fount of knowledge. "Mum's right, as always," was the (dourly) expressed phrase heard most frequently in our house as I was growing up. Now her most notable achievement, besides raising three kids to adulthood (which, considering the kids, is a true achievement!) is her garden. Which is glorious. She is still a fount of knowledge (though she isn't quite as confident about it anymore), and has managed to keep a contagiously open and curious mind.
My parents met when my uncle brought my dad home between college parties one night. They were married six months later. (my parents, that is. My uncle was already married. ;-) With two very forceful personalities (albeit in very different ways), the road has not always been smooth. But they've made it through this far and, now that the stress of earning an income and raising kids has passed, seem to be very happy indeed.
And how funny is it that although my dad's mini-bio is pretty much what I would have written ten years ago, my mum's has changed almost completely? In tone, if not facts. Ten (maybe twenty) years ago, one of the first things I would have mentioned about my mum was how she really was 5'4", despite seeming to be 5'7". Age and illness has robbed her of that trait (she only seems 5'5" now), but it's also made her a more approachable and likable person.
Hmm. In three days, my parents will have been married for 44 years. Reasonably happily, too, which, given both their personalities, is both surprising and a given.
My dad grew up on an orchard, liked to blow things up with his chemistry set, and wanted to be a concert pianist. When his teacher politely told him that he wasn't quite good enough for the concert circuit, he put his considerable energy and drive into becoming an engineer. Except, well, fate (in the form of the wrong interview room) decided he'd be a better physicist. And he was a great one until he retired a few years ago. His love of combustion continues, though in a much safer and regimented way, and is fueled by his joy in chopping down trees.
My mum grew up on a small but important island in the Pacific Northwest. Her dad was a fisherman and a logger, while her mum was the beloved village mum. My mum's most notable trait is her love of reading; until my dad retired, she was quite literally addicted to books. Because of this, she is and always has been a fount of knowledge. "Mum's right, as always," was the (dourly) expressed phrase heard most frequently in our house as I was growing up. Now her most notable achievement, besides raising three kids to adulthood (which, considering the kids, is a true achievement!) is her garden. Which is glorious. She is still a fount of knowledge (though she isn't quite as confident about it anymore), and has managed to keep a contagiously open and curious mind.
My parents met when my uncle brought my dad home between college parties one night. They were married six months later. (my parents, that is. My uncle was already married. ;-) With two very forceful personalities (albeit in very different ways), the road has not always been smooth. But they've made it through this far and, now that the stress of earning an income and raising kids has passed, seem to be very happy indeed.
And how funny is it that although my dad's mini-bio is pretty much what I would have written ten years ago, my mum's has changed almost completely? In tone, if not facts. Ten (maybe twenty) years ago, one of the first things I would have mentioned about my mum was how she really was 5'4", despite seeming to be 5'7". Age and illness has robbed her of that trait (she only seems 5'5" now), but it's also made her a more approachable and likable person.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-10 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-10 09:39 pm (UTC)They are both a lot of fun to be around, that's for sure.