I learned two things from grandmother.
The first came after one of our glorious holiday gatherings — the kind where aunts, uncles, first cousins, second cousins, and anyone else who shared our surname squeezed into one house and behaved exactly as you’d expect.
“Never apologize for who your family is. You didn’t choose them,” she told me. “As for your friends, if you have crappy friends that’s entirely your fault. For them you can be regretful.”
And so, for the last twenty years, I’ve given Cousin Eddie a break. I still don’t claim him, but I understand his existence is not my doing.
The second thing my grandmother taught me was that it’s perfectly acceptable — encouraged, even — to put dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher. Something, so I’ve learned, most other people disagree with.
“Why would I rinse my dishes first?!” she’d proclaim. “The reason I have a good dishwasher is to wash my dishes.”
So, one morning in the not-so-distant past, after breakfast, after coffee, after loading the remainder of the previous night’s dinner plates into my top‑rated washer (which I bought specifically because I want it to wash my dishes, not me), I stepped away to feed the dog.
That’s when I heard clanging. Clacking. Water running.
What the #@#$&???
I peeked around the corner to find my mother‑in‑law unloading the dishwasher, rinsing and scrubbing the dishes, and then reloading my top‑rated dishwasher.
I sent a silent prayer up to my grandmother and wondered what she’d say if she were watching. I’m sure she’d laugh. And I’m sure she’d remind me that, like my family, I didn’t exactly choose my in‑laws either — and their misgivings are theirs, not mine.
Cheers : )
Cover image created with Jetpack. Today’s post inspired by the daily prompt: What’s something you differently than how you were raised … which clearly, I do the exact same way : )
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DISCLAIMER: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Nothing here is medical, nutritional, or therapeutic advice. Also, I’m a writer and an editor. And I try my best to make sure every post is articulate and free from errors. However, being that I edit my own work—and it’s next to impossible to properly edit your own work—I admit, occasionally there may be an error or two I miss. But doing so doesn’t make me an idiot so don’t be mean. Just smile, pat yourself on the back for finding an error and be glad you’re not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes … xoxox
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