Soon, Mom will be 94 years old. We’ve talked about getting her stories down in print; we’ve even kept a recording device near her favorite chair. Last week, we both admitted it: it’s not going to happen. Writing an autobiography is too big a mountain to climb when your energy doesn’t even get you to the foothills.
We’ve changed our plan. Each week on Tuesday when Mom and I trek out to the ocean, drive to the top of Mt. Tamalpias or ferry out to Angel Island, in the course of our day we will uncover two or three principles that define who she is and what she believes. So far, it’s made for the most satisfying, revealing, in-depth conversations we’ve ever had. I
highly recommend it.
Here are the first five.
MOM'S LEGACY LIST
1. Respect is 90 percent of love. There is no lasting love without respect. (from her father, Walter Roberts)
2. Having something to look forward to makes all the less pleasant parts of life just bumps in the road. With nothing to look forward to, life is just about the obstacles.
3. During the first decades of life, dissatisfaction is what pushes you forward. Later, gratitude -- finding evidence everyday that life is good -- is what keeps you moving forward.
4. When you have a disagreement with someone you love, ask yourself “What is more important? Being right -- or the relationship?” Then, just let go of being right.
5. Cleanliness and order contribute to a calm, clear mind.
We’ve changed our plan. Each week on Tuesday when Mom and I trek out to the ocean, drive to the top of Mt. Tamalpias or ferry out to Angel Island, in the course of our day we will uncover two or three principles that define who she is and what she believes. So far, it’s made for the most satisfying, revealing, in-depth conversations we’ve ever had. I
highly recommend it.
Here are the first five.
MOM'S LEGACY LIST
1. Respect is 90 percent of love. There is no lasting love without respect. (from her father, Walter Roberts)
2. Having something to look forward to makes all the less pleasant parts of life just bumps in the road. With nothing to look forward to, life is just about the obstacles.
3. During the first decades of life, dissatisfaction is what pushes you forward. Later, gratitude -- finding evidence everyday that life is good -- is what keeps you moving forward.
4. When you have a disagreement with someone you love, ask yourself “What is more important? Being right -- or the relationship?” Then, just let go of being right.
5. Cleanliness and order contribute to a calm, clear mind.
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