peace and driving Ms. Gloria

I didn't feel like writing today.  Truth is I didn't feel like doing much of anything..... I did my strength training early and had (1) client today, and came home and hung out with my favorite bad influence for motivation, Layla (1 1/2-year-old boxer for those coming late to the game).....Then, a friend of mine asked me "hey...are you writing in your blog today?".... Sigh....I thought what do I have to write about today?  Who wants to hear about my "not working" day that is consumed by hanging out with my devoted and lazy dog Layla & watching mindless TV?  I didn't even run today so I don't have any exciting tales of near slips on ice, or near misses with wild dogs, or icicles in my hair?Sort of annoyed at the pressure to write by my friend, who without even trying reminded me of the commitment I had made to myself to write each week in my blog no matter what, I decided to get down to business.....Writing?  Oh gosh no!  Procrastinating.  I do that much better!  Baking!  Chocolate chip cookies.  My go to baking.  I can bake them without pulling up the recipe.  With my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer at high-speed, whipping the butter for the cookies, (only real butter, don't even try to substitute.... it's blasphemy) I began to think about what I could write about & then it came to me.  Grandma.Each week, I drive my Grandmother in law around town.  She is 90.  Maybe I have mentioned her?  She is witty- sharp- opinionated- sassy- and up until a year or so ago drove herself wherever she needed to go.Somewhere along the way, I have become the one to drive her during the week on errands.  We go to the market (normally a small old school one with a horribly awkward layout but easily maneuverable for her), the dollar store (always), the pharmacy, the resale shops, out to lunch, to get her vitamin B12 shot, and to her Podiatrist.  I consider myself really blessed.To be fair, I don't like to do any of those things on my own.  Well really, who "likes" to go to a Podiatrist?  No offense to Podiatrists out there but really, a foot doctor?  Yuk.  I don't even like shopping all that much.  But driving Grandma isn't about me at all....it's about helping others.  Isn't that what we are supposed to do?"Our prime purpose in life is to help others." Dalai LamaAnd who else gets to hang out with a 90-year-old person on a regular basis & talk about the Kardashians? Grandma's topic selection, of course.Recently at lunch, I learned that Grandma lived with her best friend when she was about 16, during the Depression.  In her words "I just started staying over there more and more and before I knew it I lived with her parents.  My parents didn't mind because it was one less person to feed"..... I never knew that.  I learned that her Mom made her take back a beautiful blue coat she received as a present from the family, saying it was too expensive and she couldn't accept it.  She still remembered it all these years later.  I learned she still had a hand-made coupon book from Grandpa, entitling her to one drink, and one dinner out.  She never redeemed it.  Think she's saving it up for when she goes to Heaven to see him again.  And I learned that while I am far (and oh do I mean FAR) from perfect, Grandma is proud of the job I'm doing in raising our kids.  Each week- I learn something new about Grandma, and often about myself.  I wish more people knew this secret little gem I have in my relationship with Grandma, but in some selfish ways, I don't really want to share her with the world.  Silly.What I wouldn't do to see my Grandpa's smile one last time.  To hear my Grandma's laugh one more time.  To share one more moment with my Uncle Bob.  To be able to steal just a few more moments with my loved ones who are already gone.  Why don't we realize this before it's too late?Our time on Earth is finite.  Thursday I will be Driving Ms. Gloria.... what are you doing?"Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." David Ogden Stiers(Ps.  Today, the highlight of my day was baking cookies and writing this, so consider this source a sometimes lazy one.....)Peace & Happy Monday......