So, this week it’s my Grandma’s funeral, and a chance to celebrate her life. She’s the last of that generation within my family to pass on.
My Grandma was born in 1920. It’s fair to say that the world has gone through some big changes since then. In her lifetime, there has been war, peace and everything in between.
She was brought up in the North East. Prior to the War and marriage, she was ‘in service’ with a wealthy family in London. The class system was still in full swing. Her circumstances, to an extent, were determined by the accident of her birth. However, she had nothing but good things to say about the family for whom she worked. They took care of their staff well.
Since then, women (in the West) have had a host of opportunities and choices open up for them; something that would seem alien to many of my Grandma’s generation. Nevertheless, the world now seems darker than it did in my own childhood with a number of seemingly negative trends. It’s impossible to envisage what the world might look like when my own pre-school daughters reach the same age as my Grandma early in the next century.
LIVE LIFE FOR NOW
My conclusion in all this would be that, whatever happens, it seems to me that you’ve got one opportunity. Make the most of your time on Earth, and don’t let fear get in the way. No matter what period you live in, there’s always going to be good and bad to contend with; darkness and light. If you look throughout history, there appears to be a cycle of ‘build things up, then burn it all down’ in many countries and civilisations.
Additionally, many people today don’t have the choice or privilege to even think in those terms. Their lives are based upon a more immediate daily struggle to survive. However hard things may seem, it’s guaranteed that life is a damn sight harder for many other people.
My 4 year old has taken news of my Grandma’s death in her stride (my other daughter is too young to understand). Any worries about how she might react seem misplaced. It got me thinking about how great it would be to always accept things which we cannot change, and to focus on the here and now.
I didn’t see much of my Grandma over the last few years. However, since she died, I’ve rekindled plenty of memories from when I was a child. Hanging out on the street outside her house; playing football until dusk. I’ve probably come a long way since those times. Now, having reflected, it’s time to focus forward and make sure the future holds good things for me and my own family.
If you need guidance on how to focus on what is important to you, please feel free to contact me.