Ma taught me

Ma taught me
To make cookies small
Nothing bigger than a tea-spoon sized piece of dough
I wanted to make huge cookies, like the ones from subway
Those were Mei’s favorite
But Ma said they wouldn’t cook well, they wouldn’t be crispy, the way I liked them

Ma taught me
To be on time for dinner
It is just dinner, I would say
I wanted to go by my own time and live by my own watch
But Ma said it’s important to eat as a family

Ma taught me
To greet my teachers in the hallway, even those that did not teach me,
To be courteous
Some of them don’t greet me back, I would whine
But Ma said greet them anyway

Ma taught me
To live life in bite-sized pieces, not to bite off more than i can chew
That way, I can enjoy moments better

Ma taught me
How much family is a constant
In the midst of the busyness of school
and relationships
and friends
and life
and how quick and fast all those things change
Ma and Pa’s love and support for me will never falter

Ma taught me
To be a decent human being to those around me
Even if others don’t reciprocate
To give them the benefit of the doubt,
maybe they had a bad day or a fall out with their other half
Being a nice human is always a good thing to be

After all everyone is fighting their own battles
And maybe we should be more conscious of that.