But Grandma, who passed away nine years ago at 95, not only took things in stride, she embraced changes. She wanted a VCR so she could watch all those “movie pictures.” She probably said, “Oy, so many buttons, I can’t understand it” but she learned to use it. She became comfortable wearing slacks in public, even on airplanes.
One of my fondest memories is the family celebrating her 90th birthday in Las Vegas. She had always enjoyed blackjack and the slot machines, and if I close my eyes I can transport myself back to that blackjack table — Grandma with her whisky sour and chain smoking, her enormous purse at her side.
Grandma didn’t seem to allow life’s setbacks to decrease her pleasures, but rather she felt they could teach us to excel. It amazes me that in one generation her descendants could rise to graduate from Wharton and Harvard. But what amazes me more was Grandma’s zest for life’s roller-coaster, no matter how bumpy the ride. She traveled, cooked soul-filling Jewish food and loved me unconditionally.
Thankfully, my life has been less bumpy than Grandma’s. Yet I’m glad I learned that I need to deal with life’s downs to appreciate the ups.