Things that I learned from my grandmother
The older generation has been a fascination for me right from my childhood. I have come across a lot of situations where the thought process of the last generation just stunned me. Their solidarity during a crisis, the little acts of kindness toward strangers, the old love stories where they waited days for a reply from their loved ones. Even though we have come a long way in terms of technology, a lot of youngsters in the current generation are still in search of inner peace, stability in life, and the so-called key to happiness. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from their lives, to calm ourselves down and lead a more meaningful, peaceful life.
Volatile Nature of Money
My grandma was born into a posh family. But her last days on earth were experienced in an average middle-class environment that couldn’t afford the posh medical care. And I have never seen her complaining about any sophistication in life, even though she had a comfortable childhood, having servants to do her bidding. People who have seen what excess wealth is, often transcend that fascination towards wealth and don’t necessarily plot plans to get to the top.
Making peace with death
Death. The only certain thing in the universe that no one can debate on. The permanence and perpetuity attached to the word brings a haunting echo to our mind. When the entire humanity is viewing death as an obstacle to overcome or a problem to be solved, or a crisis to be delayed. My grandmother’s view on death was so liberating. She was always deep-rooted in her kindness which made her even perceive death as a kind act of God saving fellow family members from taking care of her in her last days. We never viewed her as a burden at any point in her life, but she understood well before her last days, how she wanted to spend her final time.
A job well done is a reward in its own right
We are always in search of recognition from the outside world. Right from kindergarten, we are graded, ranked and we are encouraged to crave awards and honors throughout our life. Sometimes we get engulfed in this goal-driven ideal, that we end up feeling low more often than we should be. Whenever our ratings go down, or as soon as we feel that we aren’t appreciated by the outside world, the inner chatter starts drowning us. The limited motivation and willpower we possess also goes through the window when we experience a phase of mishaps. My grandma always had a positive look on life and pointed to all the simple jobs I did well, like helping a fellow friend or being kind to that random stranger. She would be genuinely overwhelmed even if my loud neighbor wins a lottery.
Final thoughts
Understanding our elders and reading more about their way of life, might hold the key to enjoying our reality. I personally, gained some new perspectives to approach life and live my life more peacefully. And I sincerely hope you find some meaning to your life with the same rationale
