I remember my beloved grandmother saying, a very long time ago, that life goes by in the blink of an eye once you’re an adult, and to never wish your young days away. At the time, I was in my early teens and impatient for the idea of what being a grown-up really meant; and I wished with all my might for a decade to hurry up and pass, so I could do all the wonderful things I’d been dreaming of.
My Grandmother, Renee, as a young mother in India
I’ve been remembering my grandmother a lot lately; small, wise, softly spoken woman that she was. And she was right – as she usually was – time does slip away from you when you’re a grown up; weeks turn into busy months, and months tumble into years, and things happen faster than you could ever imagine.
With that in mind, this week I’m grateful for:
Timeless-ness. I’ve had to explain to the kids quite a lot lately about doing things ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ or ‘another time.’ It’s still such a tricky concept for them to grasp, because everything is NOW! or in an hour, and the prospect of waiting, even a day, is often met with wails of disapproval.
But goodness, I like their idea of ‘right now’ - it’s so wonderfully spontaneous, and it sometimes makes me wonderfully spontaneous too.
Old fashioned advice. How wonderful is it to be given a good piece of advice?
(Alright, I freely admit that I’m not always 100% receptive to it; but when it’s relevant, done with kindness and in the spirit of genuine sharing, I do love and welcome it)
My Grandma was very good at advising in the gentlest, most considerate way, and it’s something that I’d like to emulate in my own life. Sometimes, I manage quite well; other times I’m so far off and rambling and should just keep my random pieces of advice to myself, thank-you-very-much. But in spite of my bumbling advisory tactics, I’m so grateful for the small tidbits of advice I’m personally given on a week to week basis, from trusted friends, family, chance-met strangers, my partner and even my children (who know all about everything and anything), because most of the time, it’s done in love and given in kindness, which really is a wonderful thing.
What are you grateful for this week?
Nat
Ps. Want to play too? Link your grateful post to the delightful Maxabella Loves, or write your list in the comments section below x
4 comments:
Oh yes, why on earth do you want to wish your teens away, when you have a lifetime of bills & responsibility ahead of you!! Grandmothers always know best, which makes it so sad the my 4 children have lost one to breast cancer, the other to Alzheimer's. How much does that suck?? Love Posie
I hear you. with no regret there is still so much I'd do differently in my youth to prepare me for now.
Oh well I guess that's why we nag our kids to prepare better for life than we did.
When you are a Grandmother you have learnt such a lot. You want your grandchildren to listen and take notice but I guess, usually, every generation has to learn things for themselves.
Oh Nat, this post was very poignant for me as I've been thinking the exact same thing that your Grandmother used to tell you! How wise time makes us, if only we were wise enough to know when we are young how wise we really are when we are older!! x
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