Photo by Elien Dumon on Unsplash
This past weekend I went to my hometown in Texas and crashed at my grandparents’ house. I came out feeling so refreshed and encouraged. Frankly, just taking the time to slow down and see family is calming and rejuvenating for me. I know this is a pattern and figured there had to be more to it than just the comfort of family. I came up with three reasons that grandparents are doing it right and we need to take note.
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Their way of life is simple.
I don’t know about you, but my grandparents are retired. They’re living their life and thriving. When I plan my own time, I’m usually factoring in at least a couple hours a weekend to have little mini-breakdowns (or just full blown breakdowns who are we kidding).
My grandparents do what they want to do. If we just sit in the living room and watch football all weekend it doesn’t feel like a waste of time. That’s what they want to do and I’m here to be with them. Who doesn’t like to just sit around for a couple of days of football, right? There’s no drama, there’s nothing pressing, we’re just spending time together in an organic, natural way.
2. They’ve been where I am and made it out alive.
There’s something about telling them what’s going on in your life and letting them tell you stories about how they dealt with that stress and survived. There’s a power in realizing that your people have made it through what seems to be killing you now.
I have young grandparents. I remember when they worked normal jobs and were walking through the everyday stressors that life throws at you. Now, I get to watch them travel, do projects on their house, and help people around them on their terms. They started out where I am and have managed to live a pretty good life. If they can do it, maybe I will function long enough to see the other side.
3. They always want to hear everything.
No matter how many times they have heard me whine about this or cry about that, they always want to know what’s going on. It’s usually the same stuff over and over, and they never get tired of knowing what’s going on in my life and how I am. Sometimes, in a world that seems to cycle us through the same crap over and over, it’s nice to have that wise, listening ear that just wants to know what’s on your mind and love you through it.
My grandparents are an oasis in the crazy whirlwind of life. They’re there to feed me, let me sleep for days on end, or talk their heads off if I need to at the drop of a hat. Maybe if we lived life with more intention for people, life would slow down and seem to be kinder to us all.