Pearls of Wisdom

Last week on February 15th, we celebrated my grandmother's (Grammy as we call her) 92nd birthday. My Grandma has always been appreciated for her Gandhi/Maya Angelou influenced homespun southern words of wisdom, and on a day like today (seeing as how many of those pearls of wisdom have saved my rear on many a' moons) I am happy to pay homage to her. I have to admit I was a little choked up in the early morning hours the day of her birthday because although, my grandma is still alive and kicking (literally- she kicked the hell out of one of the nurses in her nursing home, twice...ouch) she has Alzheimer's and sadly doesn't remember who we are, or who she is for that matter. It's hard to watch someone I remember to be so incredibly strong, with such an invigorating taste for wisdom and knowledge loose the one thing that she prized the most about herself...her memory. Nonetheless, I was still overjoyed as soon as my work day ended, and I was able to rush over to her nursing home to visit with her. As I sat at her bedside running my fingers over the thin (and few) light wrinkles of her hand, I couldn't help but let my mind wander and fill up with both curiosity and nostalgia at the thought of what her 92 years of life-experiences and endless world of knowledge has meant to me. She had so many quirky catch phrases, and life quotes that were both ridiculously funny and wonderfully insightful that I actually started a journal just to remember all of them for future applicable needs. One of her quotes I will never forget:

" Wisdom comes to those brave enough to accept that knowledge is only as useful as your ability and willingness to not just seek to expand your mind, but also expand your heart".

As one of my high school friends always said "That's some good learning!". As I sat by her side, and for days after her birthday, recalling as many of her life-changing ah-ha quotes has been lightly simmering in every crevasse of my mind; it's motivated me so much that I decided to share a few of my favorite Grammy quotes that I've collected over the years in honor of her 92nd birthday. Enjoy our family's treasure chest of little pearls of wisdom peeps!

"Life doesn't stop no matter how bad your hurting. Hurt is just a reminder that life is still alive and well and requires more tending to."

"If I let every nut ball opinion of outsiders sway decision making, I'd be asshole full of regrettable dumb ass decisions. Don't let other peoples shoulda' woulda' coulda's make you doubt yourself."

"If you never show people what your worth by respecting and loving your self, you'll never give the the option of respecting or treating you with value in the first place. Worth and love starts with you first. Everyone else will only follow down the road that you paved for their travels".

" People will people, will be people, will be people. Some are kind, some nasty, some sweet, some are assholes. No matter which type of person you are forced to encounter throughout your life, remember to not let their perceptions of you become your reality. At the end of the day, how you feel about you is far more important than anything someone who may or may not have a role in your life will be. After all, the relationships you have with others may not be lifelong, however, you are my dear stuck with yourself forever- might as well love yourself and let the other factors fall where they may."

"Love is what you make of it. It hurts, it's hard, it's complicated- it's a battle that you will always see as an uphill climb. What makes the difference is how you plan to make that climb- are you going to strap on the weight of life on your back and only make it a few steps before it breaks you, or are you planning to travel light in order to keep a steady pace and  retain your stamina?"

"Don't hold on to hurt and anger. Don't hate those that have wronged you. Understand that holding those feelings only hurts you in the end, because the truth is, the people who have hurt you aren't being affected by your rage and usually fall into two categories: one half won't even recognize your anger, and the other half just don't give a damn in the first place. Moving past your anger, and forgiving the circumstances behind it will make the difference between you moving forward happily and productively, and you moving beneath the people who you hold so much rage for."

"Live the life you want to live, enjoy the life you live, and treat every moment you wake up to take your first morning breathe as a chance to further yourself and your happiness. Life is a blessing."

Happy Birthday Beautiful! I love you, love you, love you, and thank you for wisdom I cherish more and more each day!

What pearls of wisdom have you collected over the years? Send me an email or leave me a comment! I would love to hear them and share them here!