When Wisdom is Lost.

Wisdom is obtained when someone has had the experience to gain knowledge and use good judgement. Before learning to read was common, how was knowledge obtained? From the wisdom of our elders and their experiences.  It was not common to talk about how those experiences made people feel but the wisdom and knowledge from those experiences meant the difference between success and failure.

I clean for a lady every other week. She said something to me once that I keep thinking about. "If I could go back in time, I would ask my dad so many questions about life." She's older, like old enough to be my grandma and even she wants to know more about life. She is so giving and so sweet to all she knows. She loves her family with all she is and has. In my eyes she already has so much wisdom about love, life, raising kids, aging and so much more.

The other lady I help is 102. She is upset because her hip is giving out, she can no longer use her step stool and she has to use a walker. Her Dr. told her if she breaks her hip she would most likely be bed ridden the rest of her life. She tells me, "I am just not ready for that." I spend a lot of time when I am there listening to her stories. She is proud of the fact that she is 102 but if she didn't say so, you would never know it. She tells me about the career she had for 50 years. She shows me the apple dishes she has collected over the years that she used to use for all of the family dinners at holidays. She tells me about her girls and the tone of her voice changes just slightly, I can tell how much she adores them. Although she can't remember how old they are. She told me it didn't matter anymore.

I can't leave out my grandmother who is almost 80. I blame my impatience on her. She almost left a movie theater once because there were to many previews. She was riled up. When the movie finally started she said, "about damn time!" She grew up the oldest of 13 and had beans almost every day of her childhood. She used to let me eat coconut out of the bag on her kitchen floor and she makes the best chocolate gravy I have ever had.

All of these women are very strong, resilient and wise. When I think about a time they will no longer be with us it makes me sad. Not only because they are all very near and dear to my heart but because a whole lot of knowledge and wisdom will be gone. They will no longer be able to tell us stories of how the world was before computers and other technologies. I love hearing about how these women used to do office work without computers, cook without the internet, and answer questions without google. We, as a society, are losing most of the people that have experienced a world like that. Experienced a world where living off the land wasn't a fad, helping each other wasn't a choice, and being strong was the only option. 

Who else can teach us how to fix the loaf of bread we are doing all wrong? Who else can tell us how to be strong when something sad or tragic happens? Who else can tell us how to grow the most amazing flowers? Who else can teach us how to entertain a party of 50 without getting stressed?
Who else can teach us how to organize our house for all 4 million holidays throughout the year? I mean actually teach us with love and care.

Their minds are like a library of books and we will never have time to read them all. 


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