That’s my Grandpa on the right.
Today I spent some quality time with my Grandfather, something I don’t do enough of. He’s someone that I have always looked up to and idolised. Perhaps the best role model someone could ever asked for. To those who don’t know him, he’s just another elderly man, an average person. But to those who know him, he is someone extraordinary. His life has not been without challenge (That’s not to say that he hasn’t been pretty well off for most of it, there’s certainly people doing it harder), but the reason I hold so much respect for him is the way he has faced these challenges and shown resilience in the face of adversary. It’s something that I notice is missing from a big portion of my generation (in western society at least). Resilience.
We have had it good, to a greater extent. We’ve lived with relative peace, security, happiness, and stable wealth to survive. He haven’t grow up with huge adversaries. Sure there are some who are doing it tough, but as a generation we’ve been well looked after. My Grandpa grew up in Germany during WWII, he spent a lot of his childhood evenings in bomb shelters and fearing for the worst. He moved to Australia as a contract worker with the Victorian Railway. At the age of 20. Germany didn’t have a great reputation among the allied nations at the time, that didn’t make it any easier. He’s done well, he’s raised a happy family. He’s shown love and gratitude and care to those around him. He’s also suffered from a spinal injury that has left him very immobile in the past couple of decades. He’s missed out on a lot of opportunities, with his grandchildren especially, because of those injuries. I can tell that it upsets him when he can’t achieve a task or do the activity that he wants to. But he does his best, and he tries as hard as he can to make the most out of what he’s got. That’s what I love about him. I respect that, it’s something to look up to.
What sparked these feelings? Well they’ve been there all along. The reason I wanted to write this is because of a moment today. Where my Grandfather shook my hand and tried to secretly give me money while doing it. He used to do it when I was young. It made me feel all nostalgic, warm and fuzzy inside. It pains me to take it, but he won’t let me decline it. He gives more than he should, and is selfless. My memories with him are only happy.