The Listen to Your Mother Austin, 2015 videos are finally live.
I am a crier. You should just know that about me. I cry when I’m happy. I cry when I’m grateful. I cry when I’m touched. I cry when I think about people I love, or when I’m around them, and I look at their faces for too long. I cry when I smell my kid’s head–even when it is gross.
Diametrically, I laugh when I’m afraid, or angry. This has worked to my advantage in a couple of situations, but the whole crying thing is just really embarrassing.
When this video was shot, my mother, my husband, and my son were sitting in the audience. Three of the six people in my life who make me cry the most out of joy, gratitude, and gross smelling head. And you know my son takes the top spot. The good news is that I did not do the sobbing, ugly cry I did when I read the piece to my mom for the first time.
I’m very proud of this video, regardless of my crying and the unfortunate camera angle, which turned my head and neck into the sock puppet I feared it would.
My parents did the very best they could with me, and my mother put it all out there. Good, bad, and ugly, my mother was doing her level best with full engagement, and even when it felt overwhelming, that complete investment was the backing for my emotional bank. I’m still living on the interest earned, with so much left over that it’s part of the trust for my son.
I owe my confidence and ability to stand up in front of a crowd, to read my own writing in the face of instant review to my parents, who were both always sure I was the best singer, writer, actor, or talent in the room. I’ve since learned they were wrong, but even if I’m not the best, they’ve still got me convinced that I’m good enough.
Without further adieu:
The Outside Lane 