Why my grandma slays
Say what you will, but our grandmas are the most amazing women in the world. At least mine is.
And when I think about my childhood, my role models, the values I cherish, things that have modeled me into a person I am today, I think of her. To me, there’s no one more loving, honest and loveable than she is, and – there’s nothing she can do to make me think differently.
My Nana is 83 years old, and looks phenomenal for her age! The woman’s quick as a cat, I’ll tell you – and usually, she’s got more life in her than some people my age do!
Even though she’s been through both WWI and WWII, and was almost killed two times by the troops, she’s stayed strong and lively. I never see her sad or nagging. She’s seen riches and she’s seen poverty; her family was one of the richest people in town but the ruling party confiscated their property, so she had to start over. Several times.
She met my granddad after WWII and they built a happy home out of nothing, together. They loved and respected each other until his last breath, for over 60 years. Since I’ve known her, she’s been the one to keep our home alive, happy and thriving. Rarely without a smile on her face, she’s always been wonderful to talk to, go to for advice, ask for help or just chill with. And that hasn’t changed to this day.
She is incredibly active
I can’t honor my three times at the gym weekly but this woman can do everything! From taking the stairs a million times in a day to going down town or to the market a few times in a day – nothing’s a big deal for her. I’ve never heard her say “I can’t”! She’s always the first to offer me help if I need something and she isn’t the one to lazy it out. No idea where she finds the energy, but she’s killing it!
She’s sharp, witty and quick
Apart from remembering every single thing that happened then and there (she even knows times of the day when stuff happened!), give her a situation with your friend, parents, boyfriend or just a random topic to discuss and she’ll give you the most mindful, clever, on-point and wise advice ever. She doesn’t talk much but when she does – there’s plenty to hear. Almost every talk with her is a lesson to learn and remember.
Her humor is incredible
I honestly think that only intelligent people have the capacity for quality humor, and she’ll make you laugh to tears! Although not a regular joker, she’ll hit you with something so ironic, so fabulously dry that you’ll pee your pants! I love it, it’s never dull with her!
She’s a multitasker like no other
Sure, I get all stressed when I’ve got three reports due, but she can manage a home, herself, her kids (my mum and uncle), their families (me, and my cousins) and everything else in between. My mom told me that, when they were little, Nana used to be the one to paint and ornament the house, sew the clothes for them, cook, clean, manage the home budget, manage family investments, run their family business, mind the employees, and everything in between.
Apart from managing the household perfectly, she would never fail to find the time to read something from their library collection. AND – these days – apart from the family business and painting the house, she’s still doing all that and finds the time to go see some of her friends in retirement villages. Woah.
Her style and sense of self-care are impeccable
Never obsessed with moisturizers, beauty routines, contouring and other stuff that consume most of our time these days, she never fails to look great! Her beauty routine is simple: a mild face wash in the morning and before bed, a little crème on the face, brush out the eyebrows and voila!
If we’re going to a family gathering, she’ll put some reddish rouge on her lips and cheek bones using just her fingers to blend; then, she’ll fix her do (that had curlers in a few hours before), put on her best fitting dress and a beret. The shoes are always comfy and the bag – elegant.
Her sense of style is to envy, and her motto is that people pick up on what YOU let them see. She’s got such inspiring dignity that I rarely find in people these days. Heck, she even dresses up if she’s going to the market! She’ll quickly change into a neater outfit because “she can’t leave the house like this”, fix her hair and face and be ready in a few seconds!
I honestly hope I’ll end up being as self-disciplined as she is. My days of going to the store in my pajamas definitely need to end soon.
I could really go on and on, and the list would probably never end. But these above were just a few of my reasons to say that my Nana slays better than anyone else I know!