6 Valuable Lessons From My 88-Year-Old Aja (Grandpa) in Trinidad
Timeless wisdom from my grandparents
Within 48 hours, my dad and I booked flights to go to Trinidad to see my grandparents. We had just found out my Aji (grandma) could die at any moment.
The goal was to get there on time to say our goodbyes and help with any funeral arrangements.
Luckily, she showed us her strength and survived, and continues to live today.
I don’t get to see my grandparents often since they live so far away. So, I wanted to take in as much wisdom while I was there.
Since my Aji can’t speak, I spent time learning from my 88-year-old Aja (grandpa).
Below are 6 lessons I learned from him.
Take notes.
1. Life is not age
My Aja will be 89 years old in March, and you would never be able to guess. His complexion is that of a 60-year-old, his mind is still sharp and witty, and he still walks around with ease.
Everyone is always shocked to find out his age.
When asked how he stays young, he responded with: “Life is not age, it is just light and dark battling themselves.”
Naturally, I had to ask for a further explanation.
He explained that throughout your life, light and dark constantly battle. The more you let light win, the younger you will be.
I would interpret this as him saying to stay optimistic, not let the bad get you down, and remain hopeful.
2. Move like they move
During the days of the Buddha, people were scared of going through the jungle due to the wildlife. So, to get through, they would kill the animals.
The Buddha urged against this.
He said to move like the animals move, and they will not attack you. This is how martial arts styles such as Tiger Claw came about.
You can do the same with your enemies or competitors in your life.
This doesn’t mean changing who you are. When you move like someone, they see you as one of them instead of a threat.
You blend in when needed, allowing you to do what you need to do.
3. Don’t take them on
Throughout your life, you will constantly have people who come at you. You have 2 options.
Fight with them
Don’t take them on
My Aja would say not to take them on.
When you take them on, you play their game, stress yourself out, and give yourself unnecessary risk.
To stay young, don’t take them on.
4. Belief & love are all you need
A happy life doesn’t have to be complicated. You can get it by believing and loving.
You need to believe in yourself and those around you. You need to believe that good things will come if you do the right things.
You need to constantly give love to those around you. You need to love what you do.
Implementing belief and love in your life will allow you to move with grace.
5. Remain humble & honest
One way to age yourself is to hurt others. You will end up being worried about what is coming your way.
By remaining humble and honest, you create strong relationships, leaving you with less to worry about.
If you are doing things right, you will achieve great things.
Those who are not humble while achieving greatness create enemies who want to see them fall.
Those who are not honest are constantly worried about whether they’re maintaining their lies. And they are slowly tarnishing every relationship.
Keep this lesson in mind in all areas of your life.
6. Serve until the end
My Aja has been taking care of my Aji for years now, since she has been unable to care for herself.
Anytime anyone asked him how he does it, he explained that she is his wife. A simple answer.
I want to say he is taking care of her, serving her, not only because of love, but also because of duty.
However, duty is an obligation.
He doesn’t serve out of obligation, but because he wants to.
Performing the duties of a husband fulfills him. She helped him for 6 decades. She helped raise their kids, cooked, and loved endlessly, and now he does so for her.
The example he set is one I will remember forever.
Final thoughts
It is incredible how much you can learn when you open your eyes.
My intention every time I was with him this trip was to learn as much as I could. Because of this, I learned more in a few hours than I had in all of my previous interactions with him.
Imagine taking this approach everywhere you go.
What are the important lessons you learned from your grandparents?
Thanks for reading