The Wisdom of Our Grandmothers

I relish the idea of being a wise old woman, a grandmother. Heaven knows I am old enough to be one and God willing I will be getting older. So, I meet the main criteria with my grandchildren and then my age. I am getting on in years despite feeling just the same. Not like today, many of the ancient cultures revere us (older folks) with respect and admiration for what we have learned. Society doesn’t care so much. The gift of our wisdom and experience may be tolerated by our children at best and uniformly dismissed by the younger generations at its worst.  More invisible than pertinent to the conversation, I’ve become mute at times.

This is not acceptable. I’m at that age (baby boomer) when I’m not known for my innovative perspective, but continue to have valid ideas. I’ve learned that most seniors are fully functional, willing to try new things, and have decades of knowledge to share, Maybe it takes a little longer for me to find that particular word I was looking for (again) that lies beyond the tip of my tongue, I might need a couple tries to master a particular app on my smartphone or iPad, but I eventually figure out how to get there with the GPS. I admit my texting can improve a bit (okay, greatly), yet I am proud that it is in proper English and grammatically correct.  Speed is not always better. Candy Crush is addicting.

I once read the story of a grandmother and grandson that goes like this: A grandmother told her grandson that she felt like there were two wild animals fighting in her heart. The first one was mean, angry, and full of revenge and the other was good, kind, and forgiving. The boy asked, “Grandmother, which one will win”?  The grandmother answered, “The one I feed”. Doesn’t that say it all? What we become is based on how we nurture ourselves and we are a sum of how we have used those experiences. Grandmothers realize we are all connected and we suffer the same.

All the self-help books, talk show hosts, and celebrity experts cannot replace the information garnered from our own journeys, or the counsel of our elders. Grandmothers of today know how to raise children, while juggling a career. They have lived life before cell phones and computers, but stay in touch on Facebook. Actually, the grandmothers of today have conquered many obstacles in the workplace, on the home front, and through the dictates of society regardless of race, age or gender.

We know that kindness is more important than being right. We understand equality is not possible, but acceptance and fairness are. We believe sometimes we have to fail to appreciate success. We recognize that timing and luck are not the same and apathy will rob us of our opportunities. Grandmothers love unconditionally and the Golden
Rule exists for a reason. Nope, we did not learn everything we know in kindergarten, but in a lifetime of classrooms without opening up a book. Finally, we know it is not the destination, rather the journey. Grandmothers know...we need to listen and learn.