5 Things I Learned From My Grandma

This 5 Things I Learned From My Grandma post is sponsored.

My grandma was the most amazing person you could ever meet. She was born in Japan, had bombs dropped on her during World War II, escaped a war zone, married her American GI, and started our beautiful family. She wrote a book about her life, which is just an incredible read. She taught me so many incredible things about life. I picked out five of the best to share with you.

1. Follow your heart.
My grandma followed her heart to America, leaving behind her entire family and support system. She took a leap of faith and without that jump, my family wouldn’t have started. It was so hard for her. She didn’t speak English and didn’t know anyone but my grandpa. But somehow, she did it.

So when I moved, once to Pennsylvania by myself and once to North Carolina with Pete, I was so scared. I didn’t know anyone in Pennsylvania and I didn’t know anyone but Pete in North Carolina. I was so worried about leaving my family and friends behind. Both turned out to be really great decisions, and I’m glad I made them.

 

Eating sushi at my favorite restaurant. #latergram #foodporn #nomnomnom #myfunnygrandma #myjapanesegrandma #funnygrandma #japanesegrandma #sushi #japanesefood #japanese #japanesegirl #asahi #beer #japanesebeer #drinking #foodanddrink #family #familia #familytime #japanese

A post shared by @myfunnygrandma on Jun 5, 2016 at 7:34am PDT

2. Enjoy life.
My grandma didn’t have the easiest life, but she sure enjoyed it. Some days she enjoyed the casino, and some days she enjoyed sitting in her recliner watching Gunsmoke. No matter what she was doing, she enjoyed it. Now yes, of course, she would complain about being hot or tired or if she didn’t win bingo. But the fact that she could be out doing things and playing bingo at 95 was a feat in itself.

Me, I take life very seriously. I laugh a lot and my texts are filled with crying-because-you’re-laughing-so-hard emojis, but I’m pretty serious most of the time. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy life. This weekend, Pete is out of town and I’ve spent pretty much every moment working. It doesn’t sound like much of a weekend, but it’s something I’m really enjoying.

3. Just do it.
Long before this was a sneaker company’s message, it was my grandma’s. She loved writing, so when she was living in New York, she started a magazine. How amazing is that? She learned a brand new language and started publishing in it. Her magazine actually got pretty widespread in the community and she had a lot of contributors for it. No one handed her a magazine, she went out and made it.

When I started my blog as a full-time business, she was my biggest supporter. She didn’t own a computer, and I don’t think she knew what the heck I actually did all day, but she knew I was writing and she knew she wrote, and so she was happy for me to follow in her footsteps.

4. Make friends.
When I first moved to North Carolina, all I did was work. Seven days a week. Work work work. When I spoke to my grandma, she asked me about my new friends. I said I didn’t have any because all I did was work all the time. She told me that was bad and that I needed to go out and make friends. 

So I did. I made friends with people at church and with a few neighbors where we lived. I have friends now, thank goodness. If I didn’t listen to my grandma and didn’t get out, I would never have any friends. Working at home kind of makes it hard, so I’m glad I listened to her.

 

This is me, taking a #Thanksgiving #selfie alone because @myfunnygrandma was too busy watching #football to worry about taking an #usie with me. #happythanksgiving #thisismylife #grandma #familytime #nfl #thanksgivingdinner #turkey #love #family #myfunnygrandma

A post shared by Lisa @ Drugstore Divas (@drugstoredivas) on Nov 26, 2015 at 11:00pm PST

5. Take care of yourself.
My grandma fell and broke her pelvis in three places — when she was 94 years old. No one would have faulted her if she decided that was it, she wouldn’t walk again. But that wasn’t my grandma. She went to rehab for three months, forced herself to fight through the pain, and learned to walk again. It was just amazing to see.

She also was diabetic my whole life. I grew up hearing that she had to “go shoot” and watched her leave to check her blood sugar and inject herself with insulin. She knew what she could eat and would be able to decline sweets (much better than I ever could).

When I go to the doctors, I have an A1C test to check my blood sugar. Because my grandma was diabetic, I’ve been told there’s a chance I could be in the future. So far, so I’m good. Thank goodness. I might head to CVS on Tuesday, October 24, just to make sure I’m still good. On Tuesday, free A1C screenings will take place during CVS Minute Clinic operating hours (excluding MA, VT and TX). This is sponsored by Meta’s new Daily Blood Sugar Control product.

It’s something good to do, even if you don’t have diabetes in your family. You just want to be aware of your levels and take care of yourself. Of course, ask your health professional what to do, but eating right and exercising is a good start.

What is your favorite thing you learned from your grandma? Let me know in the comments.