When we are young, we sometimes forget that we will age. And the reality is, we will move slower — perhaps be more forgetful, maybe a bit grumpier, and our hobbies may shift to watching getai and Taiwanese soap operas, for instance.
That’s where our grandparents are now: members of Singapore’s pioneer generation, mostly above 60 in age and retired. We may not always connect very well with them — especially if we don’t speak the dialect they’re most comfortable with — and sometimes we take their presence in our lives for granted.
Is that all they are, though? I’d say, definitely not. There are many Chinese expressions such as 家有一老如有一宝 (Having an elderly at home is like having a treasure) that illustrate how precious the old are, and who better to start appreciating than our own grandparents?
With decades of life experience under their belt, our grandparents hold a secret treasure trove of epic stories, great secrets and fun, and sometimes random, thoughts. Here are five of the many things we can learn from them:
- Be adaptable
- Be daring
- Be resilient
- Be faithful
- Be selfless
