Monday 18 November 2013

words of widsom - thelma (79 years young)

i had a lot of fun putting together this blog post.
so much so that while sitting at my desk today i thought to myself, "i wonder how some of the residents would answer these questions?"
nb: i work at a nursing home and love chatting with our residents because, as cliché as it sounds, they are so full of wisdom. 

one of my favorite life lessons came from my home girl, gail - the sassiest 67 year old i've ever met:
"don't be poor.
it's not easy being poor, trust me.
make sure you work hard so you have a little money.

and marry a man with a trade, will ya? 
a plumber or carpenter...not some deadbeat."

hoping to get more gems like this, i decided to pick the brain of another one of my favorite residents, thelma.

the following is a transcript of our conversation:
who is the person who influenced your life the most?
my mother - she brought me into the world and was a great mother.

do you have a lost love?
my first husband died before our first son was born. i'll always love and miss him.

is there anything you regret not having asked your parents? 
no, but i miss spending time with them. i even miss running their errands - my mother lived with me before she passed and i would do everything for her. i miss that.

what was the happiest moment of your life?
when i got married. i was 18 years old.

what are you most proud of?
my grandchildren.

what is the most important lessons you've learned in life?
everyday is a new day, so don't worry too much about things.

did you receive an allowance as a child?
yes, 50 cents a week.

would you spend it all at once or save it?
save it - you should always save for a rainy day.

what was your childhood dream?
i always wanted to be a momma and have children.

if you could give young people any advice, what would it be?
i would tell them to stay on the right way - to not do anything bad.

how would you like to be remembered? 
hopefully they'll say good things about me. oh God, i hope they don't say anything bad.

i wish i could include a photo of my dear thelma but for legal reasons, i'm not allowed to do so.
something about privacy...

hope you're all having a great monday!

:)
vanessa

ps. quick weekend roundup - i took my my three surrogate children to the royal ontario museum on sunday.
after getting trapped in the santa claus parade and begging a police officer to let us across, we finally got into the ROM.
the children seemed to really enjoy themselves - they learned about endangered animals, went into the bat cave and got to see and dig up dinosaur fossils.
grainy bootleg front camera group shot

all in all, it was a great afternoon but can i just say that being a quasi-mother of 3 ain't easy.
hug your mothers people...
:)




12 comments:

  1. i LOVE this post, from the words of wisdom to the cute picture at the bottom - it's all awesome. you have a really cool job.

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    Replies
    1. thank you lydia!
      i love your blog as well - such cute posts!

      Delete
  2. Oh i love this...I used to work in care home as a kitchen assistant so i defo know what you talking about. The residents are very wise. Great post.

    missymayification.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. they really are and have so much wisdom.
      i could take to our residents for hours.
      :)

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  3. Amazing! You learn so much from the wise and those who have experienced a this oh so crazy thing called life. I love the stories and lessons the elder give, and it should be taken to heart! xx

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    1. they really should be.
      i remember my dad saying once that you don't always have to learn through your own mistakes.
      you can learn a lot from the mistakes and stories of others!

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  4. This was so sweet! Marry someone with a trade is something my grandmother used to tell me too lol. Life through their eyes just make so much sense.

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    1. haha, it's a really good tip.
      i love that they never stress being ridiculously wealthy which is what we're constantly being bombarded with today.
      just to live a comfortable life.

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  5. aww u always wanted to be a momma...love it- me too:)

    My blog here www.Islandchic77.com

    ReplyDelete