What happens when we have elderly, really old people in the house? Those who are unwell, immobile, and bed-ridden for various reasons? What do we talk to them?
How are you feeling? Did you take your medicines on time? Would you like to watch some TV? Should I switch off the fan if you are feeling too cold?
That’s about all the things most of us talk to the grandparents in our lives. But did you know our grandparents are like a big trunkful of stories? They are like a huge bookshelf with hundreds and hundreds of books. They can tell you stories from a time period we have never known and will never know unless we talk about it.
I used to meet my late grandma every Wednesday for tea. Initially, I would sit and write, and she would be sitting around. I would ask her if she was feeling fine and she would ask me if my tea was okay. This went on for a few Wednesday until one day she said, ‘Why do you carry your laptop with you everywhere? Don’t bring it here.’ I didn’t want to upset her, so I did not carry it with me again. I put my laptop aside. We began to talk. I discovered some amazing things about her childhood days. I never knew she had been on a helicopter ride and a bus ride with her father to Lahore in Pakistan. I also learnt so many things about my own childhood from her. The stories kept coming and I looked forward to every Wednesday. I looked forward to every opportunity I had with her to talk about her childhood, friends, their dreams and ambitions. This meant so much to her as much as it meant to me!
I realised how important those conversations were and how many more stories I would have known had I invested more of myself in whatever little time I got to spend with them. They may not remember each and everything about their past.
So, spend quality time with your grandparents. Engage with your grandparents in a different way and discover a wealth of stories – stories that no one else will be able to tell you buy them.
Picture Credit : Google
