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The “Still Learning from My Mother” Essay

In the Newsweek underline names of magazines essay “Still Learning from My Mother,” Cliff Schneider talks about life lessons he still learns from his 79 year old mother. Schneider vividly describes his mother in her youth as being very gracious but also very competitive and great at sports. As the years go by his mom grows old and slowly realizes that she is not as physically young as she once was. Still determined to be at the top of her game, his mother aims for a seemingly unfeasible goal; use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce to score 200 points in a game of bowling. Schneider never thought his mom’s goal would be accomplished, yet one night he received a call from his excited mother who exclaimed that she had exceeded her goal. Schneider, a retired freshwater biologist, learned a couple of important lessons; use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce that you can never be too old to set goals for yourself, and that you should be open to everyone, because you never know what someone might teach you.

Schneider’s essay was very descriptive and tells his story with the underlying moral lesson at the end. Like Schneider, I am surprised sometimes at the lessons I learn from unexpected people. I have encountered several unexpected people in my job as a restaurant server. These people have taught me that it is important to dream big and accomplish the goals you set for yourself and share your accomplishments with someone you love.

The other day at work, I served this elderly couple who was celebrating an accomplishment. The wife had recently graduated with a Doctorate in Sociology. She had been a junior high teacher for many years and she spoke of her early ambitions of getting her Doctorate, a goal she had set for herself back when she first started teaching. Listening to all the bumps she encountered on her way to a Doctorate, I “…smiled and nodded in agreement, which was my way of acknowledging her determination” (Schneider 6). I glanced over to her husband who sat there looking at his wife lovingly, with a warm smile on his face, proud as can be. I was surprised at her ambitious journey to her Doctorate, thinking to myself that she is too old to be able to do anything with it. After they had left, I was happy for her but didn’t really think much about it.

Later that night, after going home from work, I began to seriously think about this lady’s impressive accomplishment. She had set a goal for herself and was able to carry out her dream through her determination. Her age had nothing to do with her goal and I suddenly felt bad for thinking that because she was older there was no point in getting a Doctorate. This lady was beaming and much like Schneider‘s mother her “…achievement has lifted her spirits and made her feel young again” (Schneider 6) subsequent reference to the same source require only the new page number). She had a dream and she wasn’t too old to achieve it. Her age was not the issue, comma splice error—use a semicolon here it was a matter of completing the goal she had set for herself. Her story was inspiring and when I got home from my job, I was overwhelmed with the lessons I could take from this simple encounter.

As Schneider said about his mother, “Vince Lombardi would be proud” (Schneider 4), as so obviously was her husband. I was not only thinking about this woman but also about her husband. It was obvious that her husband loved her and supported her through her journey. He didn’t need to say a word for someone to see how proud he was. In life, it is important to surround yourself with people that love and encourage you to go after the things you want for yourself. To share an accomplishment with someone you love, who has been there for you, is better than to do it alone. This couple set forth a perfect example of a loving and supportive relationship.
It is so important to dream big and set goals for yourself. Through determination anything is possible and you can accomplish your goals. Having the support and encouragement of someone you love is also important. As Schneider says so eloquently “…you are never too old to dream and never too old to realize those dreams” (Schneider 6).

Works Cited

Wyrick, Jean. Steps to Writing Well. Ninth. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.