Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.
Dearest P,
Happy birthday!!
You’ve done it. Every time your feet have hit the floor, I’ve heard desperate murmurs, “Oh no! She’s up!” and every single time I’ve smiled. I’ve admired the effort it’s taken you to stand up for what you believe in. Even when you heard the desperate whispers urging you to tame it down, apologise, compromise.
I’ve watched with bated breath as you gave the kids numerous opportunities to learn to stand up for themselves. Do you remember the whispers of doom and gloom you heard at birth?? And that tiny sliver of hope, the gentle doctor provided you? It’s been the one thing you’ve always believed in and that’s just you! A beacon of hope and success specially for those going through the troubled teen years either by themselves or as part of a family.
Your book, ‘1 mile: in my shoes’ , put a perspective on issues faced by women and the easiest way to overcome them and the entire section where you provided your honest review on the various kinds of shoes you’ve worn over the years, was funnily irreverent and something that only you would have included in a book that wasn’t a fashion magazine. And it still is a section girls and women refer to, when they pick the shoes they want to make an impression with.
Remember those ‘nomadic years’ you did everything in reverse order? The continuous search for employment? I watched in despair as every application was rejected wondering if this would be the straw that broke the camels back. Yet, every evening you ended the day with a smile, and woke up, fresh to tackle another chaotic day doing the same things again. Nothing fazed you. And I’ve never seen anyone more thrilled than you were with the little victories. The baking classes, the knitting classes, the continuous and continued learning you went through. Proof that you were never too old to learn. And consequently never too old to earn.
Getting the kids licensed to drive! That was hilarious, the questions they had, the reasons they gave to not get it done. And then the reasons they gave to get their wheels of independence. Possibly the funniest couple of years in the last century! How did you encourage them, without thwacking the lights out of them? How did you do half the things you did? I’ve silently appreciated the ease with which you persevered. I can assure you, it’s taken me a lot of effort to live the kind of life you’ve lived, accepting chaos in the name of change!
You’ve rocked the apple cart on numerous occasions and ensured that everything was steady for the family. You were the tether that held them in place giving them freedom to spread their wings, and the strength to fly. You’ve encouraged everyone you’ve been around to try just a little more, to do just a little more, making every effort to be unique and every effort to succeed.
On this day , I hope you look back and reminisce about a life well lived with family well loved. From a precarious pre-term infant to a successful centenarian, you’ve lived through wars, and questionable space travel tourism speculations. Your life has always been about family, ‘viva la famiglia’ like they say in Spanish, a little something I learnt while binge watching movies with you.
Have fun over the next 100!
With love,
As always,
P
Just a little more 