Going to try to keep this short for you today….
I want to share a quick story, something that happened when I was around 21 years old and a new college grad that really stuck with me. It’s one of those things that really isn’t technically even that profound or significant, but for some reason it just hit me in all the right places and is now forever ingrained in my brain.
I was on the phone with my Grandma, sometime in July or August 2006. I had just started my first Nursing job at a big hospital after graduating from nursing school. I was telling my Grandma about it and she asked how I was liking it.
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| My grandma and my fresh faced little self on my 21st birthday! |
I said, “Oh, it’s going really well! A lot to learn, but I like it so far. The only thing I don’t really like is that my shifts start at 7:00 a.m. I have to get up by 5:15 so I can be there on time….it’s so early!!”
She responded, “Oh, that’s too bad. Well, at least the shifts don’t start at 6 am!”
I remember laughing and thinking, “Huh! Yeah, she’s totally right!! Gosh, if I had to be there at 6 a.m. I’d have to get up at like 4:15 a.m!!! That would be WAY worse!!”
Suddenly my 7 a.m. shift didn’t seem so bad. I don’t think she really intended for this comment to be great words of wisdom or anything- she said it very nonchalantly, just a passing observation and comment as I blabbed on about my new job. But for whatever reason, that moment has stuck with me all these years later. I would say I think back to that moment frequently, at least 1-2x per month.
It has sort of become my personal little life mantra from my Grandma (now in Heaven) that things could always be worse. I like thinking of it, and her, and it always lifts my spirits and helps me put things in perspective if I’m feeling down.
It can be so easy to get caught up in our own problems and issues….I’m as guilty of it as the next guy. We often magnify everything to 1000x reality, while forgetting that an alternate scenario could be so much worse!
I have always loved this related quote, too:
I always envision people standing in a big circle, like we did for activities back in Girl Scouts, and then all heaving their “problems” into the middle…only to then frantically scramble to grab them back after seeing what else was in there!!
Anyway, those are my words of wisdom for this beautiful Saturday morning. I hope maybe my Grandma’s words can inspire you today, if only for a moment.
Also, it’s a good reminder that we never know how a single random comment we make to someone might affect their life! I don’t think my Grandma even realized that that little comment stuck with me or impacted me in any way. I actually never mentioned it to her, or anyone, again (before today!).
You never know when YOU might be the answer someone is looking for! 😊
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for my grandparents. They are all gone now, but I’m grateful that I got to meet all of them- though some for not nearly long enough. The Grandma in this story didn’t pass away until 2013, however. The stubborn lady that she was, of course she had to outlive all the rest. 😉 I was 30 already at that point, so she got to meet both of my boys and I’m so grateful for that. I’m grateful for so many memories of being at my grandparent’s houses growing up. I wish they could still be around today- I know that our relationships would be so much different and deeper now that I am older myself!
GRATEFUL KAE 
i totally need this inspiration today!!! thank you for sharing! Your grandma was a wise women.
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That’s a a nice story, and a nice pic of you and Grandma. It’s always interesting to ponder all those connections and impressions we make on others, and they make on us, so many of them unintended and unsuspected.
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Grandparents are great about giving advice like that. They have so much perspective. My grandma is 97 so she's seen a lot and been through a lot. So I think she has the 'I've been through worse than this!' perspective about life. Like the depression and WWII and such.
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