Taking Time When You Don’t Have the Time

Yesterday I went to Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Some of you may immediately think of Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman, but for me, Pawhuska is where my Grandpa Mashunkashey lives.

My Grandpa is almost full blood Osage Indian and lives on the reservation. He’s 89 and while his body is suffering from old age, his mind is sharp as a whip.

My life is busy. Not so much the kind of busy where I’m constantly going from here to there like moms who have older children with basketball games, girls scouts, etc. I’m more the type of busy where I’m trying to play Batman while nursing a baby. So finding a day to drive to Pawhuska to see my 89-year-old Grandpa isn’t on the top of my priority list. Atleast, it wasn’t.

When I walked into my Grandpa’s home I saw all of the photos I have mailed him up on his wall. During our conversations, I realized that he knew more about my life than I knew about his. Somehow he manages to keep up with all of his kids (5), grandkids (9), and great grandchildren (infinity) without Facebook. Shocking, I know. He doesn’t even have a computer. He actually talks to people to find out how they’re doing.

I could sense a bit of sadness in him. I think his body aches and his days are feeling a bit monotonous. He can’t get out and go do things like he would like. I started feeling really guilty that it had been such a long time between my visits, and made a vow to myself to making it one of my top priorities. At the very least, I want to start sending more photos and letters. I’m actually pretty excited about writing letters. I mean, when is the last time you sat down and wrote letter?

Also, I want to visit without my children more. One reason is because he can’t go half an hour without lighting up a cigarette (the man has smoked two packs of Marlboro reds a day since he was 12-years-old and has the lungs of a marathoner), the second reason is so I can actually sit down and listen to him. He has such amazing stories ranging from growing up an Indian boy on the reservation to being a soldier in WW2. The man has seen so much and I don’t know enough about him.

I wanted to share this with you just as a reminder to make time for the important people in your life. Take time to “smell the roses” or, in my case, the Marlboro reds.