By Kathy Craigo Harteis
My forever friends and I were talking this week about aches, pains and medications.
We all went to high school together. The conversations have changed each time we visit.
We used to talk about boys. Our biggest worries were if we had a prom date or if the guy we liked still, if ever, liked us.
At some point we moved on to talking about getting married, then our kids and then our grandkids and even great grandkids.
Suddenly now, in this last chapter of our lives we’re comparing which medications work best for our ailments.
We’re lucky to still have these friendships so many years later.
As troubling as it might be to grow older, the years and the times we’ve shared together out way the annoyance of aging.
As I’ve said many times before, the key is to keep moving. Keep your brain busy as well.
With age comes knowledge. Some might even say it comes with power. One of my favorite movie lines comes from ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’. Kathie Bates says to some snotty young women harassing her that she’s a lot older and has a lot more insurance. Then she smashes their little car with her big car.
I won’t be doing that, but I do feel that way some days.
Younger people sometimes try to make us feel stupid at best. My theory is that I’ve lived a lot longer and I know a lot more.
I recall being young and thinking my elders were not as with it as my generation.
Now, I think back on and remember the lessons I learned from each of them.
I wouldn’t be this wise old lady I claim to be if I hadn’t learned from someone else.
I grew up in a big southern-rooted family. Although I was born and raised in California, my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles migrated from Arkansas and Oklahoma during the depression.
In fact, my mother insisted that the family youngsters watch the movie “Grapes of Wrath” saying it was about the life they had escaped.
Some were farm labors or migrant workers and others like my dad and uncles were heavy equipment operators. Few were not educated beyond high school or less. My dad had a third grade education. He was definitely a self-made and successful man.
The thing they all had in common was the desire to survive, live well and work hard.
Although I always respected the men in my family, it was the women who taught to me valuable life lessons.
As far back as my maternal great grandmother, there was a strength in my family’s women.
Grandma Stevenson was a tiny little woman full of courage. Her husband had left her with a houseful of children to raise on her own. She worked hard, shared hard and loved hard. The results were a passel of fine, hardworking adults who loved their mama.
If at the end of the day, if our kids respect us and love us we will know we’ve done our best.
Life is good today.