Turns out Grandpa's not a podcast guy
I'm delighted to report that I went on my first post-vax adventure!
I went to upstate New York to celebrate my Grandpa’s 91st birthday and my Dad’s 70th birthday.
Upstate New York is beautiful right now.
Lots of green countryside and farmland.
Delicious ice cream!
It was such a treat to reconnect with my Grandpa - I hadn’t seen him since January of 2020.
Here we are the first night of my trip and his last day of being 90...
When I was a sassy young girl, he'd call me a “spark plug.”
And while there are so many issues that we don’t agree on, he’s still one of my favorite people to be with.
He has the best sense of humor.
At his birthday on Sunday (check out his hilarious T-shirt here), he was teasing his 94-year-old brother in law as if they were 9-year-old boys. He was even stealing food off of his plate when he'd look away!
Grandpa was a farmer for many years (“Farmer Brown”), and then he owned an RV and Camper Dealership.
He describes people based on how hard they work.
We'd be driving by someone's house or farm and he'd say, “She’s an excellent worker" or "He's a good, hard worker." (And yes, he still drives at 91, quite fast too!!)
I tried to describe my “Outgrow the Grind” podcast to him at one point, but he doesn’t understand what a podcast is or how on earth someone would do anything but work hard day in and day out.
And that makes sense.
It got me thinking about my values and his values - where they overlap and where they don’t.
When my Grandma was experiencing dementia in the final years of her life, he was loving and patient.
He would hold her hand everywhere they went and answer her questions as if they were new every time.
My Grandma was his second wife after his first wife passed away.
He’ll tell anyone who listens that he’s the luckiest man on earth to have had two loves of his life.
I feel emotional just thinking about how he continues to express his unabashed love for both women so many years after they've both passed.
He and I both value connection.
He can make friends with anyone and has a way of flirting through life and everyone he meets. The Wal-Mart checker. The Perkins server. His great grandkids.
I feel so lucky to have known him for all these years.
Today I came across an Instagram post by @postivelypresent that said "You are allowed to have mixed feelings about people you love." It felt right in this moment as the world starts to open up and so many of us are traveling to see family members.
And what I'd add is... it all gets to be true at the same time.
The places where our values meet and the places where they don't.
The moments that feel free and easy and the ones that feel painful and hard.
I see you, being loving to yourself and your loved ones, even when it's challenging.
I know that you care deeply.
For those of you who do "get" podcasts and are curious about outgrowing the grind, this week brought us two fantastic episodes.
Episode 3, "Claim Your Calling", features Alison Tedford who created a successful and fulfilling marketing business that better aligns with her own unique calling after working for the Canadian government for a decade.
Nicole Barham is my guest in Episode 4, "Pandemic Pivot into Possibility". In this episode, Nicole shares how her 2020 pivot created even more purpose, possibility and profit. She said yesterday that this interview is the most vulnerable she's ever been.
I hope you enjoy this week's episodes and would love to hear your feedback, questions, ideas or takeaways if you feel like sharing (simply reply to this email and you'll reach me!).
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Stacy
