ADVICE
5 Timeless Lessons From My Grandmother
They have provided an essential foundation for my life
My grandmother was about as wise as a person could get. She died in 1998, but the lessons and messages that she instilled in me continue to shape and guide my life.
Here are five timeless lessons that she taught me that were life-changing.
1. Clothes Don’t Make the Man
When my classmates were mocking me in grade school for wearing my grandfather’s outdated clothes, it humiliated me. My grandmother later explained that clothes, nor any other materialistic thing define a person. Their character does, and I still live by that.
2. One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show
My aunt was furious with me for eating too much of her legendary spaghetti. My grandmother took offense to her hostility towards me and arranged to have a pot of spaghetti made for myself only. She told me that “one monkey don’t stop no show” meaning that I should never allow one person or opportunity to make me feel defeated. There’s an abundance of opportunities everywhere. The message impacts me to this day.
