I have several notepads. By several, I mean like 10 and in each of them, I think i’ve only written on one page.
I don’t know what it was…but over a span of like 3 years, I kept getting notepads for presents. Maybe I was just in a really weird phase and nobody knew what to get me.
I came across one of those pages the other day… It titled it:
“Things to Remember When I’m Older”
- Just remember. Period. Don’t lose your memory; exercise your brain.
- Younger kids don’t see old folks as a bother. Give yourself a break when you need someone younger to help you. And the young people who do mind? They’re little turds.
- Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful. You may not have a young, innocent beauty; but now, you have a wise, survived many wonderful years kinda look.
- It’s okay to reminisce.
- It’s okay to cry when you reminisce. Not because you’re sad, but because you were blessed throughout all of life.
- Just because your children/grandkids don’t visit/call daily doesn’t mean they don’t talk about or think about you daily.
- Remember what it’s like to be young. Don’t let your body rule you – let your STRONG mind.
- For the love of all mankind… try to learn the newest technology.
- Try to be open-minded as you get older. Just don’t be so open-minded that your brain falls out.
I wrote that page in my notebook when I was sitting outside of a cafe in the district of Trastevere in Rome, Italy. It was April so I hadn’t seen my family since January. I was probably homesick and took the day to explore (like I usually did). I was most likely thinking about my life and the future I want to have. Since the day I wrote that excerpt in my notepad – April 16, 2013 – many things have changed.
This post has several reasons:
I feel that sometimes my generation forgets. We forget that our grandparents want to hear what’s going on in our lives.
We get so caught-up.
Caught-up in ourselves.
Caught-up in our phones.
Caught-up in our careers.
Caught-up in our IG followers.
We forget that they are still present and have human feelings. We kind of put them in the category of “oh, they don’t really care what’s going on in my life. My parent’s will tell them.” Guess what, you’re/I/we’re wrong. They care. The people who love you want to know you. As the older generation has invested time into us, now it’s our turn to invest into them. Remember the older people in your life. They have wisdom, stories and so many wonderful things to share. Cherish them.
I also wanted to remind everyone that we are beautiful at every age. One day, our youth will be long gone from us. Our walk will be slower and our hands will be wrinkled. We may forget things too often and we most likely won’t know what the HELL our grandkids are doing with the latest technology. Our speech will stumble and we’ll probably only eat one meal a day. But it’ll be okay. Our beauty will not have faded away, it’s just transformed. Our beauty will be shown by our ability to handle things gracefully, our ability to love more deeply, our ability to offer wisdom that only age can bring. That’s the beauty that age brings.
Here are two beautiful women in my life – my guides and protectors. These two are the ones who pray over me and my life. The reason I have soft skin, send random presents and love so deeply. They are my anchors. The ones I try to call at least three times a month. They have encouraged me, fought for me and dedicated hours upon hours to loving me unconditionally. These two women are my Grandmothers, whom I love so very much.
Grandma Jones
Grandma Gary
Coffee Shop Talk 