Grandparents you gotta love them- Pockets filled with sweets, rich experienced lives and stories that usually start with “back in my day”, It’s no wonder we can learn a lot from them.
Every single one of my grandparents played a key role in my life while growing up (and still do). Now not all of them are still here to watch me grow up or give me any more advice, the abundance of stories, unconditional love and wisdom they passed down to me has provided me with a pretty solid foundation of how I want to live my life.
As I fast approach my mid- twenties, I’ve coming to realise some of the best, most true advice I was ever given was from my grandparents.
1.Face To face Will Always Be Better Than Social Media.
When I asked my grandparents how they made 40 years of marriage work, they told me “when we had problems we talked about it, not posted it on the internet like you kids do now”.
2.Keep Photo Albums (The Physical Ones)
Some of my fondest memories were looking through old photo albums of my parents with my grandparents. These days, we seem to keep a lot of photos online with Facebook and Instagram providing us with the opportunity to keep an online scrap book. Although technology has allowed us to store more photos than ever, the chances are you won’t pass your laptop or Instagram account down to your grandkids, so lets keep scrapbooking alive.
3.The Sooner You Learn Patience The Happier You’ll Be
My Grandad told me you’ll never be ahead, they’ll always be someone in front of you. Stop sweating the small stuff, take a breath and just take life as it comes. No one’s minute goes faster than yours, so there’s no point in rushing.
4.Keep Traditions Alive Throughout Generations
Traditions bring families together, give a sense of belonging and create something for generations to reflect on. Every Sunday, we would sit down and have a big family lunch with my grandparents. Even though the amount of people at the table has gotten smaller with time, this is something that we still do and i hope to continue to do with my own family.
5.Get A Good Skin Regime And Start It Early
My Grandma told me that I needed to take care of my skin as soon as I hit twenty because that’s when it starts to age. She told me to “always take your make up off, put sun screen on and moisturise- your skin in 50 years time will thank you for it”.
6.Unplug And Be Present From Time To Time
It’s hard to imagine that our grandparents grew up in a generation where phones, IPad’s and laptops never even existed. However, they survived and so would we if we unplugged it once in a while.
7.Don’t Let Letter Writing Completely Fade Out
With the invention of emails and “DMs” (direct messages). Love letters are being replaced by emoji’s and limited to 140 characters. While these are the quick and convenient ways of communicating, there’s nothing more sentimental than a hand written letter.
8.Never Stop Learning
If you don’t use it, you will lose it.
9.Don’t Take Advantage Of The Body You Have
You have one body, this body will need carry you through life for hopefully decades to come. Don’t wreck it when you’re young.
10.Travel NOW
The opportunities as a generation and society that we have now are almost infinite. These opportunities to travel were not so readily available to our grandparents in their youth. So take every opportunity to see the world. Plus these memories will no doubt be the foundation of stories and advice you pass onto your grandchildren one day.
Laura
xo