If I could eat lunch with anyone, who would I choose? That question is and always has been a popular interview question. It allows the interviewers to get to see whom the interviewee admires and the interviewee gets to show off who they aspire to be.
I went for an interview a few weeks ago and I was asked this popular question. Without thinking I replied, "My mother, Terry."The woman who was interviewing me began to look sentimental, her face changed from a stern and strong look to puppy eyes, relaxed, and compassionate look. She looked me in the eye and said "I'm sorry about your mother, that must have been very hard for you." I looked back at her and said, "Oh no, my mother is still alive and well. Thank you though!" Her face changed from that sentimental look to a confused look, I could tell she did not understand. Her brown bushy eyebrows were raised and her dark brown chocolate colored eyes began to study me. Her pink chapped lips parted and she said " Oh no you must have misunderstood me, if you could have lunch with anyone in the world, dead or alive, rich, famous, etc. who would you choose?"With a confidence in my voice and a smile on my face I replied again, "I would have lunch with my mother." And before she could cut me off and insist that I didn't understand her question, I explained. "My mother is a single mother of 2 children, my brother and I. I was adopted when I was a baby and brought to her wonderful home where she cared for me and loved me my entire life. Nights when our power was shut off, she was on the phone arguging to give us one more night of heat, days when our kitchen barely had any food she would cook everything we had for my brother and I. She would allow us to eat before she herself was able to. Knowing we always had bills to pay, she would work everyday in a job where she was mistreated, judged, and overworked. I understand many people choose rich or famous people, Beyonce, Obama, whoever. But my mother is my idol, she is my hero. My mother has given me the confidence I need as a woman to succeed, to survive. She has shown me the difference between being a woman and a girl. She has taught me how to be a lady. That is why I value and look up to my mother. A person who I have never met and just seen on the television screen or heard on the radio could not teach me the things that my mother has." And with that the interviewer looked like she had understood. She continued asking questions while each of my answered were cleary spoken, truthfully answered, and strongly believed. I am my mothers daughter.
