As far as l know, nobody has done a portrait of me in paint or words. Maybe what my family see in me is not what l see, they will all have their own perceptions. They outwardly show me love, but how they see me or what they know of my past, l know not.
Have l faded into the manotony of old age, doing much the same things each day with odd bursts of activity? Is what l do important to my family or do they see it as an excentricity? Do they know why l am who l am, what experiences formed me and have l passed on a little of me to them?
Your article as always made me think. How do l see myself? How different is that to the perceptions of my family and are their perceptions governed by how close our relationship is?
I am old, but fairly content. The things in my life, tangible items such as my pace stick, my book collection, the way that l dress, my shiny shoes, all of these things help to define me l suppose, but what will be their lasting memory of me?
In the harshness of reality, does it really matter? I'd like to think so, and l hope that memory treats me kindly.
Grandads are special people. We are a constant pillar in the family, and we see more than we say, but we are blessed with experiences earned in happy and sad times which we use to our advantage and to remain relevant. I never met mine, but the photos of him prove that he still holds influence as it appears that this little old acorn hasn't fallen far from the tree. A soldier, shiny shoes, and just maybe a major influence in the family.
I love your comments Paul, always so lovely to read! It's like reading another article and you're always so forthcoming with your thoughts and ideas that spring up after reading mine.
It amazes me, actually, how much thought this seems to have provoked in different people. We tend to spend a lot of our time worrying about what other people think of us, but we rarely actually ever know. For this, I had to keep circling back to one position - what my perspective was and what I know. Yes this piece is about Grandad, but the entire thing is a piece of me, and that always influences it. It's partly why I was so worried publishing it, because I worried what my dearest's family would think reading it. It was important for me to get the details right, but ultimately, the perception is entirely mine.
I'd like to think, in years to come (hopefully many years), we can read this piece back and capture those images again. I like the idea of it being a portrait. I hadn't thought of it that way until I did the subheading.
I also think that so much of who we are sits in our connections with others. It's my belief, as well, that memories of us in others is what keeps us alive and living, long after we're gone.
Grandads are indeed. I only met one of the two, and I wasn't too fond of him as a child. He died before I could learn more about his history and family and now I'm desperate to ask him questions. Like you, I feel apples rarely fall far from the tree, and it's lovely to see the influence your grandad had on you, even though you never met. xx
Your writing is very special, and l look forward to seeing your work. Because l know you and a little of your background, l see your "portraits", your "word pictures" perhaps from yet another perspective. Any writing that moves me, inspires me or provokes a response from me, has clearly hit the spot. Yours has actually woken the writer in me which had, without intention, become dormant and l am finding the first sparks re-igniting the fire and giving me a few first lines of poetry in my mind, which l will commit to print when the inspiration to add further lines hits me.
Thanks, l needed a shove, a prompt, and your work to kick start my imagination. X
As far as l know, nobody has done a portrait of me in paint or words. Maybe what my family see in me is not what l see, they will all have their own perceptions. They outwardly show me love, but how they see me or what they know of my past, l know not.
Have l faded into the manotony of old age, doing much the same things each day with odd bursts of activity? Is what l do important to my family or do they see it as an excentricity? Do they know why l am who l am, what experiences formed me and have l passed on a little of me to them?
Your article as always made me think. How do l see myself? How different is that to the perceptions of my family and are their perceptions governed by how close our relationship is?
I am old, but fairly content. The things in my life, tangible items such as my pace stick, my book collection, the way that l dress, my shiny shoes, all of these things help to define me l suppose, but what will be their lasting memory of me?
In the harshness of reality, does it really matter? I'd like to think so, and l hope that memory treats me kindly.
Grandads are special people. We are a constant pillar in the family, and we see more than we say, but we are blessed with experiences earned in happy and sad times which we use to our advantage and to remain relevant. I never met mine, but the photos of him prove that he still holds influence as it appears that this little old acorn hasn't fallen far from the tree. A soldier, shiny shoes, and just maybe a major influence in the family.
Thanks Karen, another thought provoking piece xx
I love your comments Paul, always so lovely to read! It's like reading another article and you're always so forthcoming with your thoughts and ideas that spring up after reading mine.
It amazes me, actually, how much thought this seems to have provoked in different people. We tend to spend a lot of our time worrying about what other people think of us, but we rarely actually ever know. For this, I had to keep circling back to one position - what my perspective was and what I know. Yes this piece is about Grandad, but the entire thing is a piece of me, and that always influences it. It's partly why I was so worried publishing it, because I worried what my dearest's family would think reading it. It was important for me to get the details right, but ultimately, the perception is entirely mine.
I'd like to think, in years to come (hopefully many years), we can read this piece back and capture those images again. I like the idea of it being a portrait. I hadn't thought of it that way until I did the subheading.
I also think that so much of who we are sits in our connections with others. It's my belief, as well, that memories of us in others is what keeps us alive and living, long after we're gone.
Grandads are indeed. I only met one of the two, and I wasn't too fond of him as a child. He died before I could learn more about his history and family and now I'm desperate to ask him questions. Like you, I feel apples rarely fall far from the tree, and it's lovely to see the influence your grandad had on you, even though you never met. xx
Your writing is very special, and l look forward to seeing your work. Because l know you and a little of your background, l see your "portraits", your "word pictures" perhaps from yet another perspective. Any writing that moves me, inspires me or provokes a response from me, has clearly hit the spot. Yours has actually woken the writer in me which had, without intention, become dormant and l am finding the first sparks re-igniting the fire and giving me a few first lines of poetry in my mind, which l will commit to print when the inspiration to add further lines hits me.
Thanks, l needed a shove, a prompt, and your work to kick start my imagination. X
That's wonderful to hear :) It's so lovely to think my words can inspire. x