8 Things I Learned From My Grandmother And Her Friends | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

8 Things I Learned From My Grandmother And Her Friends

Lessons from women who were some of the lady pioneers of their generations.

210
8 Things I Learned From My Grandmother And Her Friends
Unsplash

There are many things I have learned from spending time with my grandmother and her friends. They are amazing women. Women who are timeless. They were some of the pioneers of their generation, leaving religion behind because it began to not seem so accepting, avoiding the strict marriage → kids → stay-at-home mother pipeline. They are inspirations to younger generations, women and men alike.

These women are still working and are in leadership positions. My own grandmother is 73 years-old, owns her own business, and still works Tuesday-Saturday usually 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

I learned too many lessons from spending a lifetime with them and more particularly the first three weeks in December, but I have narrowed them down to the top eight, for now.

1. You might not use your college degree for your job/career, and that’s OK

Many of these women and I would even go as far as to say MOST of them, did not use their degree, or their intended degree, especially undergraduate. You might not use your degree for your first, second, or third job, but experience is everything and the experience you gained while you were in college means a lot too.fa

2. You will miss feeling scared and nervous about your future

When you don't feel this way anymore, you will wish you had that feeling and those moments back. When you are older and comfortable, you will miss the times when you weren't sure what you were going to do with your life or when your next paycheck would be.

3. There really is "the one"

There can also by many people in your life who are "the one," just realize that you will know when there is "the one." If this means you find one, two, or three of "the one," you will know; wait for that feeling.

4. Men will never think like women, and vice versa









Technically two of them said, on separate occasions, not even when they were together, proclaimed the exact same thing: "Men are stupid." I did not want to say it particularly this harshly, but I will state the obvious here that not ALL men.

When pressed into further detail, they described particularly what I stated above, that men do not think like women and that is hard to understand how they make their decision, but this can also go both ways.

5. “Things” are just “things”

From major red wine spills to accidentally using too much bleach and ruining your favorite (and maybe most expensive) set of sheets, things are simply just things. Don’t fret over them unless they are entirely irreplaceable, but again, regardless they are just things. They are inanimate objects and can (and most likely will) be replaced. It is a waste of time to worry about them.

6. Try to stay debt free

No credit score at all is better than a bad credit score. Try to pay for everything in cash so you don’t accumulate debt. And if you are in debt, pay it as soon as possible so that you don't end up paying a bunch extra (even up to double the amount in some cases).

My grandmother also suggests looking into Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey, she says she learned so many important financial lessons from him and you could too.

7. Don’t remain unhappy, in any aspect of your life

From relationships to jobs, if you are not happy then leave. Don’t second guess it, don’t think of everything you could be losing, just leave. You will figure it out somewhere else or with someone else or with a new job so just leave. You will (probably) look back and laugh at the matter and be so glad you made that decision because of where you end up.

8. You will probably change your path more than once

moving india salvor menuez GIF

Whether it is deciding you want a major career change, relocation, new partner, etc. you will most likely not end up where you thought you would be at twenty-four. You might, but probably not. So anticipate that change will occur and that you are not predestined for anything. You might just change your mind about a lover, career, and/or place to live in a heartbeat and this is OK, and even fun and a good idea.

So all in all, there are too many golden pieces of advice I have acquired from some of these role models of mine. Take the time to listen to your own grandparent's advice and life experience, it is usually so important and is only acquired from people who have been around a lot longer than you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
student sleep
Huffington Post

I think the hardest thing about going away to college is figuring out how to become an adult. Leaving a household where your parents took care of literally everything (thanks, Mom!) and suddenly becoming your own boss is overwhelming. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of being a grown-up, but once in awhile I do something that really makes me feel like I'm #adulting. Twenty-somethings know what I'm talking about.

Keep Reading...Show less
school
blogspot

I went to a small high school, like 120-people-in-my-graduating-class small. It definitely had some good and some bad, and if you also went to a small high school, I’m sure you’ll relate to the things that I went through.

1. If something happens, everyone knows about it

Who hooked up with whom at the party? Yeah, heard about that an hour after it happened. You failed a test? Sorry, saw on Twitter last period. Facebook fight or, God forbid, real fight? It was on half the class’ Snapchat story half an hour ago. No matter what you do, someone will know about it.

Keep Reading...Show less
Chandler Bing

I'm assuming that we've all heard of the hit 90's TV series, Friends, right? Who hasn't? Admittedly, I had pretty low expectations when I first started binge watching the show on Netflix, but I quickly became addicted.

Without a doubt, Chandler Bing is the most relatable character, and there isn't an episode where I don't find myself thinking, Yup, Iam definitely the Chandler of my friend group.

Keep Reading...Show less
eye roll

Working with the public can be a job, in and of itself. Some people are just plain rude for no reason. But regardless of how your day is going, always having to be in the best of moods, or at least act like it... right?

1. When a customer wants to return a product, hands you the receipt, where is printed "ALL SALES ARE FINAL" in all caps.

2. Just because you might be having a bad day, and you're in a crappy mood, doesn't make it okay for you to yell at me or be rude to me. I'm a person with feelings, just like you.

3. People refusing to be put on hold when a customer is standing right in front of you. Oh, how I wish I could just hang up on you!

Keep Reading...Show less
blair waldorf
Hercampus.com

RBF, or resting b*tch face, is a serious condition that many people suffer from worldwide. Suffers are often bombarded with daily questions such as "Are you OK?" and "Why are you so mad?" If you have RBF, you've probably had numerous people tell you to "just smile!"

While this question trend can get annoying, there are a couple of pros to having RBF.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments