Grandmama's stories

My first grandparent died when I was 28 - my beloved Granddaddy. It was way too soon. I still can't write or talk about him without choking up.

Next to go - about 18 years later - Grandpa Sam. He lived quite a colorful and interesting life, and when cancer struck him at about age 90, he was still hauling his little fishing boat in and out of the lake on a regular basis. His decline was rapid, and the end was quick - just as he hoped it would be.

In October of 2009, I visited my Grandma who had been moved into a nursing home only weeks before. Grandma didn't want to go. She was a retired secretary/bookkeeper who became a prolific artist and writer. After I moved away from the family base, she was the one who kept me up-to-date with regular letters. I became closer to Grandma after I left - funny, isn't it!? Her love of sports was bestowed on me.

A few weeks after my visit, Grandma developed a condition that was extremely painful, and a permanent resolution was not available. By the time we made it back for the holidays, she had been admitted to the hospital. On December 23, Grandma left us. Her legacy was her loving family, a large body of artistic work, and an unpublished autobiography. I was only able to read a couple of chapters of the book before I left, but the clarity of her memories was striking. We're very fortunate to have so much information on her family history and her life.

So now, my brother, my sister, and I only have one grandparent remaining. Grandmama is 88, still drives in a limited fashion to the places she's comfortable going, and lives with her older husband, whose health continues to decline.

She isn't an artist or writer, although she's always been very creative in her own way. She's a knitter from way back, and I can tell she's delighted that her great-granddaughter (my daughter) inherited this passion. Over the years, the family has heard many of her stories, told with love and laughter at family gatherings. Most of them revolved around us. She remembers all the funny and brilliant things her children,grandchildren, and great-grandchildren said or did. Once in awhile, she throws in a reference to her own past, or to that of her parents.

It struck me that her story isn't documented anywhere. Requests for her to write it down over the years have been met with a "should" response. Yes, I should, I know I should, etc.

On the long plane ride home from Christmas, I realized that Grandmama won't write her story down because her preferred way of communicating is story-telling, not writing. What if we could get her to record her stories? After thinking about the best way to get information without making her feel weird about it, I approached her with an idea of a series of phone conversations which I would record. She seemed pleased at the idea, and after a few technical problems, we launched the Pauline Project.

More to come...

Sedentary Life

After spending the last 30 years working mostly behind a desk, and developing interests that are sedentary, I am not a great candidate for outdoor sports. Still, at 48, I know I either need to find work that is active, or develop hobbies requiring physical movement. The deterioration in my hamstrings, knees, hips, and gluts is a testament to too many years of neglect!

How does a fairly accomplished, extremely busy manager make a lifestyle change to a level of physical activity that increases health and well-being?