My great grandma, as I knew her, was a spunky, maybe 5 feet tall, white-haired old lady who took no crap (but loved to play craps). She served a little over a year in the Women's Army Corps at the end of WWII, and would proudly tell you she was a WAC. She wasn't perfect, but she taught me some valuable things:
Never count out the underdog.
In fact, Grandma would do everything she could to support and help the supposed underdog win. This was just her thing. You were losing a volleyball game? She was going to pray that the other team's serves went into the net. You were behind in a race? She was going to wish that the people in front of you fell. People were doubting you because you couldn't find a job? She was going to ask you for help on whatever she could and pay you for it. And maybe offer you her car.
Help those with less than you.
My great-grandparents were some of my babysitters growing up. My mom had been using cloth diapers, but Grandma didn't want to change and wash them, so she paid for disposable diapers until I was potty trained. Even if the only way you can help is with time, do it. Watch your neighbor's kids, pay someone a little for helping you out when you have the means to do so. Maybe if more people did this, the world would be a better place.
Stand up for yourself.
Even if that means scaring off a Peeping Tom while hoping to God that you scare him off and you don't end up face-to-face with him because you have no idea what you'll do then. This is something Grandma actually did while a WAC. She also claimed she told them to discharge her because she couldn't type, even though she'd been their secretary for over a year. When it counts, you have to stand up for yourself. This is still something I'm learning, and something I admire her for.
The more people tell you that you can't, the more you should prove them wrong.
This was Grandma's big thing. She might've married Grandpa because they were very in love, but it worked out very well for her that she could also then prove everyone who said they wouldn't make it wrong. I inherited the stubborn gene from her. The more I feel like people think I can't do something, the more I want to do it so I can prove that I can do it. I also typically learn to do it well enough that I don't just scrape by, but I can truly do what they made me feel I couldn't. Granted, sometimes, I have to tone it down or resist the urge to prove people wrong, but there are times that it comes out very strong, and I can't say I'm that mad about it.
Three Hershey kisses a day is the secret to a long life.
Or something along those lines. Grandma ate exactly three Hershey kisses every day. She also gave us kids a bag of m&m's for our birthdays. She died in her nineties, so I guess the lesson there was that chocolate, in moderation, is the secret to a long life. If so, I'm totally down. Thanks, Grandma.
