Hello everyone ✨
Usually, I see people who spent quality time with their grandparents as "lucky". The last memory I had of my maternal grandfather was when I was about five years old. He beckoned me to sit on his lap and he said " I don't want you to be a headstrong girl when you grow up. Listen to whatever your mother says and learn to smile more often". As a kid, these words didn't make a lot of sense to me but I still took them to heart.
My grandfather had passed down his wise words(advice) to all his kids and he expected his kids to pass it on to their kids too. My mom isn't one to advise you everyday of your life, but on the days she does, there would be a visible change in your mindset.
Few years back, while we(my mom and I) were chattering about the next new/ crazy recipe to try out, I asked her to tell me anything about life. That request was rather out of the blues but irrespective of that,she had something to share. In summary, she told me three things which I have never forgotten till this day. I hope to pass this knowledge down to my kids someday.
The first thing my mom told me was: Be liberal. She told me to learn to be open to other people's ideas. I grew up in a community where everyone felt they knew everything and they gave themselves the title "Jack of all trades". Don't get me wrong, it's great to be a Jack of all trades but are you open to ideas from other people or you feel like you know it all?.
There's no doubt that people who are receptive and willing to learn always go very far in life.
Looking down on people was one thing she kicked against and as such, she instilled the idea of accepting everyone. But, she reminded me of the fact that humans are not perfect and I shouldn't rely totally on anyone. She backed up this point with a lot of experiences from her past and how she had experienced betrayal from even those she saw as "bestfriends".
It's good to be acquainted with as many people as possible but be very careful of the people you let into your circle
The last thing she said that day was; I'm not sending you to school to become an employee,rather, I'm sending you to school to become an employer. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, hypothetically. Before this day, I had planned to finish my education and immediately start working as a nurse in a well-paid hospital, but that thought got wiped out.
I, in turn, would educate my kids on the advantages of being self employed. I've seen people who worked for years with the government and once they retire, they have nothing to fall back to. Many people overlook the fact that as the world is evolving, better opportunities are up for grabs and this is a good thing. I'm one who believes in the "start early" policy, so that things don't get overwhelming in the long run.
One other advice I'd like to give my kids is do not live a life of regrets. If you want to do something, just do it. Most times, the "things" we want to do may have negative outcomes and other times the results may be positive, but you would never know unless you try. Living everyday of your life with regret is very terrible and as such, I'd urge my kids to always trust their gut and go for it.
I've gotten a lot of advice from different people and these advice have gone a long way in shaping my being, but the few I listed above are some that really stoodout for me.
This is my response to the second prompt for the collaboration between #silverbloggers and #dreemport. More details can be found here
Thank you for your time
With love, wongi ✨