When we’re growing up, we don’t always appreciate how much our moms know and understand about the world. There’s usually even a period somewhere around the teens when we are pretty sure she doesn’t know a thing about a thing. If we’re lucky, we grow out of that and learn to listen to her and appreciate everything she has to offer in terms of life experience.
Pranav Sapra is a big fan of his mother Poonam. Big enough that he was pretty sure the world would be, too, if he could just get some more info about her out there. Luckily, he has a pretty big following of his own on Instagram, which she has apparently always been very supportive about:
Pranav told Buzzfeed in an interview that his mother’s wisdom seemed perfect for the Instagram trend of holding up signs with strong messages for people.
While not all of her advice is life-shaking, much of it is basic stuff it’s all too easy to forget.
Like why we should reach out to people we love no matter what:
The Instagram account, which is just pictures of Poonam holding signs with her inspiring advice, became very popular. She now has almost 150k followers of her own.
“We were quite surprised at how it became so popular,” Poonam told Buzzffed. “We truly are grateful for the outpouring of love and all those comments full of love and good humor. They cheer me up and boost me to do more.”
Not everything that gets shared on the account is super dramatic or revolutionary. It doesn’t have to be. But some of the stuff is about the human condition and how we treat ourselves and each other in a larger sense.
Poonam wanted there to be a variety of topics open for discussion, saying, “I want to share things that are super important and things that do not get enough importance in the hustle and bustle of the day — things like mental health, posture, equality, our environment, and so on.”
“There’s so much to say, and what better than a space where everyone is willing to listen and contribute.”
Overall, the posts are very positive, because Poonam does not think that there is any reason to focus on the negative when it comes at its own pace anyway.
“The thought was to try to keep looking for reasons to be happy instead of finding faults. In fact, come to think of it, that’s the whole point of human existence — happiness. Isn’t it? And from my experience, I can say happiness is in cherishing the small joys. It’s not just achievements or things we possess; it’s experiences, moments, and the simple things,” she said.
The welcome on Instagram has been wonderful for them both. And she tries to have perspective, adding, “More often than not, I tell my son it’s not important how many likes a post gets — what’s more important is the invaluable smiles we bring to the faces of those who see the posts.”
She continued, “People keep sending messages asking how I’m doing, and they tell me that what we post helps them through their day…They look forward to the posts, and in turn, that makes my day, too.”
Thanks for sharing your mom, Pranav. She always knows just what to say.